Hockey India election process to be completed by October 9 to pave way for smooth staging of World Cup

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The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar is one of the host stadiums for the 2023 World Cup.

The road for India to host the Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 is almost clear. Hockey India submitted the first draft of the modified constitution to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed on Wednesday (August 17) and confirmed they would hold elections by October 9.

The first draft was submitted to the Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the FIH delegation, and a final copy will be submitted in the next 10 days.

The FIH delegation, comprising acting president Seif Ahmed and CEO Thierry Weil, met the members of the CoA, Justice Anil R Dave, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, and Zafar Iqbal to discuss various issues pertaining to the Hockey India constitution, the elections, and the World Cup.

Read: Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey: India, Australia among 6 teams to take part in the invitational tournament

The meeting was conclusive and conducted to benefit the sport and the athletes involved. The two major points put forward by the FIH were addressed by the CoA.

The good news for Hockey India is that the FIH "does not consider the court as a third party", ruling out the possibility of a ban. This will come as a relief with just months to go before the men's World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

Speaking on the occasion and in the context of the Delhi High Court order with respect to Hockey India, Seif Ahmed said in a media statement:

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“We don’t consider the court as a third party and respect the judiciary. We believe that the order of a court is not an interference.”

Hockey India CoA, FIH to visit Rourkela on September 7

The Odisha government's commissioner-cum-secretary in the state's sports and youth services department, Vineel Krishna, met with the visiting FIH delegation and made a presentation about the plans for the upcoming World Cup.

The FIH were apprised of the progress of the preparations for the upcoming World Cup. The development of the infrastructure for the prestigious tournament was appreciated by the delegation.

The FIH, along with Hockey India CoA, will conduct a site visit to Rourkela on September 7, which will be followed by the official World Cup draw on September 8.

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