NEW DELHI, 8 November 2007 — The men’s field hockey World Cup appears likely to return to India in 2010 with New Delhi playing host to the premier 12-team event, the International Field Hockey Federation (FIH) said yesterday.
Former world champion India previously hosted the men’s World Cup in 1982 in Mumbai, then called Bombay, where it finished fifth.
Els van Breda Vriesman, president of the sport’s international governing body, said the 2010 World Cup would be a joint venture between the FIH and the Indian Hockey Confederation.
Van Breda Vriesman said bringing the World Cup back to India was part of an initiative to revive Indian hockey.
Winner of eight Olympic gold medals between 1928 and 1980, India has witnessed a sharp slump in recent decades, failing to qualify for the semifinal of six consecutive Olympics since 1984.
India has also fallen short of making the semifinal in eight successive World Cups after winning the title in 1975.
“The improvement of Indian hockey is critical for the sport’s future, both in India and internationally,” said van Breda Vriesman, who released the logo of the 2010 World Cup yesterday, which shows an elephant dribbling the ball with its trunk twisted in the shape of a hockey stick.
Van Breda Vriesman said the international federation did not go through a bid process with other countries, keeping India’s significance to world hockey in mind. The massive audience for the game in India, where it is officially recognized as the national sport, was also a consideration.
India must still fulfill commitments, however, before getting the 2010 World Cup. The requirements are related to organizational aspects and the world body’s “Project Promoting Indian Hockey” program, said van Breda Vriesman.
She said the world body was confident India would meet its commitments.
