Will see more progress in women hockey, says Sunita Dalal Khatri

GUWAHATI: It was 1998 when the Indian women hockey team brought laurels for the country by winning a silver medal from the Asian Games. Sunita Dalal Khatri, who was the member of that medal winning team and now working as the Deputy Director in Sports Department of Haryana Government, recently visited Tamulpur to attend the closing ceremony of the fourth Asian Kho Kho Championships. In a brief interaction with The Sentinel she highlighted the present scenario of the game and its future. Here is the excerpt.

The Sentinel (TS): How did you associate with hockey?

Sunita: During our days there was not much opportunity for the young girls to join in the sports. Local boys regularly played the game in our locality and perhaps the interest started to grow by watching them. Initially it was not so easy for me to continue the game but gradually I started to get support from the family members and others.

(TS): What differences have you noticed in women’s hockey during your time and now?

Sunita: It’s huge. During our days there were not so many facilities that our current players are now getting. We didn’t have physio, quality trainers and even not enough exposure tours. But it’s really nice to see that current players get all those facilities along with the service of foreign coaches. It brought a lot of improvement in the team and I am optimistic that our hockey team will give us many happy moments in the coming days.

(TS): When it comes to hockey in India States like Punjab, Haryana always stay on the top of the list. What is the present scenario of the game in those States?

Sunita: It’s still good. We are trying to promote the game according to our capability. There are nearly 500 hockey academies in Haryana that are run by the sports department. If you add private academies the number will be more than double.

(TS): Do you feel more players are now attracted to this game?

Sunita: I agree. People associated with hockey are trying to promote the game very sincerely. You may have seen the role of the Odisha government towards the development of hockey. There are now plenty of jobs offered to the hockey players and even they can earn handsome money by playing the game. It brought a huge change in the mentality of the parents who now don’t hesitate to bring their children to the game and it’s happening in those states also where hockey earlier was not in the list of popular games.

(TS): Sindhu, Chanu, Lovlina, Nikhat, Hima,... Indian sports are now dominated by the women players. How do you feel?

Sunita: Oh! It’s really nice to see that so many women athletes from India are dominating in the international arena. The present government led by our respected Prime Minister Narendra Modiji, is doing an exceptional job to promote women in every sector. I think it started to work in the sports arena also. Women athletes are now getting facilities same as that of their male counterparts, and the result is here for everyone to see.