| Status of Indian women's hockey: Overflowing goals, empty stands | | | New Delhi: Team India of the Indian Women’s hockey team beat 5 teams with exceptional scores, before they reached the finals against Poland at Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
Come 8 pm, the scheduled time for the final, and the stadium has more Polish supporters than Indians and there were a total of 11 Polish supporters.Unfortunately this is the state of our national game where nobody seems to care even when the women’s team is earning us laurels and marking their spot on the world platform.
The tickets for the match were priced at Rs 20 (General) and Rs 100 (VIP Pass). As the match progressed, fans streamed in. By Halftime, there were about a hundred people in the VIP enclosure, but the general stands wore a deserted look. Tickets seemed to be the least of the worries for the organisers as hardly anybody bothered to check them. One could walk into the general stand without a ticket.(People often credit the rise of popularity of cricket in India to the 1983 World Cup victory. In the past one year Indian hockey has earned glory at Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Champions Glory and now the World League. Yet, these athletes are still searching for the fame they deserve.) |
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