Hockey set to remain in Odisha
CHENNAI: Bhubaneswar is in line to host at least 10 matches featuring the senior men’s hockey team in the next 12 months. Apart from hosting the two-legged Olympic qualifier in October-November, the state capital will host the team for the entirety of the Pro League in 2020.
To control rising costs, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) have tweaked Pro League rules. Countries need not go back and forth like they did this year. From next year, countries will play a set of two matches against four teams at home before doing the same thing away from home. While the identity of the four teams that will travel to India aren’t known, they will play in Bhubaneswar.
Meanwhile, the men’s team will have two specialised camps — one with goalkeepers and one with defenders — next month once training starts in Bengaluru. It’s learned that both the camps could be supervised by former Dutch players.
Siami’s father passes away
The women’s team are one step away from the Olympic qualifiers. If they beat Chile in the semifinal of the Series Finals on Saturday, they will be in the draw. But the side, who have scored 19 goals, didn’t have the best build up. They woke up to the news of Lalremsiami’s father’s death due to a heart-attack but the forward has opted to stay with the team.