As angry fans clamoured for Government intervention to revive Indian hockey after the ignominy of failing to qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games, Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday made it clear that he had no authority to act against the game’s governing body.

Aiyar said his Ministry was bound by the ‘Olympic Charter’ and he could not interfere in the functioning of an autonomous body like the IHF. “All federations are autonomous and only voters decide on the ouster or appointment of a federation president but the Government of India is not a voter. So, at the moment, we cannot do anything,” Aiyar said.

“We don’t appoint a federation president. So we cannot remove him as well. We just watch and suffer,” he said adding that “there are serious limitations as to what can be attempted (because of Olympic Charter). Nevertheless we are working on what can be done”.

Aiyar said like any hockey fan he was also disappointed and heartbroken at the loss but refused to share the blame for the poor show. “I took no credit for the fantabulous victory of our cricket team in Australia because credit should go where it is due and here it was for BCCI. Debit must also go where it is due which is, you can fill in the blanks,” he said.

Going down

The 67-year-old Aiyar said he has been seeing Indian hockey going down since he was 27. India won successive Olympic gold medals in early years but “they suffered humiliation in Tokyo Games and since then I have seen them gradually declining from my age of 27 to 67. So when I see that they did not qualify for the Games for the first time since 1928, my heart is completely broken.

“But as far as approportionating responsibility is concerned, you should ask the IHF. I have no reaction to that,” he said and described the defeat as a “very disappointing and shameful” development.
The Minister said he would not demand any explanation from the Federation on the loss.