NEW DELHI: Former Indian men’s hockey captain and midfielder Manpreet Singh said the team’s main priority is to do well in the upcoming Asian Games to secure a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Asian Games will take place from September 23 to October 8 in China. Becoming the Asian Champion will help the Indian side qualify for the Paris Olympics automatically.
Talking about the preparations for the Olympics 2024, Manpreet said in an exclusive interview with Olym-pics.com, “Yes, preparation is in full swing and the Asian Games 2023 is our main priority now to obtain an Olympic spot. With all the upcoming tournaments in line, it will help us in building the momentum, strength and confi-dence to play against all the top teams ahead of the Olympics.”
On how new head coach Craig Fulton is different from former coach Graham Reid, Manpreet said that there is no comparing these two coaches. “We cannot compare Craig Fulton and Graham Reid as every coach has a differ-ent approach. But one thing that is similar in both of them is that they look to enhance the players’ skills,” he said.
Talking about the revival of the Hockey India League in the country, Manpreet said that it would be a wonder-ful opportunity to play against the top players worldwide and learn something new.
“The Hockey India League will be an amazing opportunity for us to play alongside the world’s top players and learn new things on and off the field. With this platform, the youngsters will be able to showcase their skills too, which is proven from the previous editions of the HIL,” he concluded.
HIL was a professional Hockey League started by Hockey India back in 2013. The competition took place till 2017 before it was stopped. Kalinga Lancers won the last title in 2017. The teams featured were Dabang Delhi, Del-hi Waveriders, Punjab Warriors, Ranchi Rays, Uttar Pradesh Wizards.
Earlier in July, setting in motion the revival of the Hockey India League (HIL), the committee chaired by Dilip Tirkey convened on Wednesday in New Delhi. The HIL Committee took cognizance of the financial model pro-posed by the commercial agency Big Bang Media Ventures Pvt Ltd and also discussed the prospects of featuring eight franchises for the Men’s HIL and four teams in the women’s format of the lucrative League.
Crediting HIL as one of the most impactful initiatives by Hockey India which catapulted the Indian Men’s Team success over the years, including the historic Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Hockey India is steadfastly working towards a successful financial model that will not only help in the resumption of the League but will also ensure its sustainability. (ANI)
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