Bhopal: It's time to restore India's glory in hockey, says Aslam Sher Khan

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Exulting over his legal win in which the Delhi High Court had in May this year had placed Hockey India under a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) to run its day-to-day affairs, former India hockey player Aslam Sher Khan said it was time to restore Indiaís glory in hockey.

Khan had challenged Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Batra's appointment as life member of Hockey India (HI).

The HC held that HI's appointments of Batra as its life member and Elena Norman as CEO were illegal under Sports Code,' Khan told mediapersons here on Saturday. He said there was no dearth of sponsorship in the game. ìWe only need to channelise funds in right areas,' he added.

He said High Court's order cleaned years of corruption, politics and legal wrangles and therefore administrators should make a new beginning in the game, which was hugely popular once.

Khan, who had joined BJP in 1997 and quit it two years later, was all praise for Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for his ìlove and supportî of the game.

However, Khan urged Chouhan to adopt a new approach. 'Academies are all good but we need club hockey and need to take the game among masses so that it is played on grounds everywhere,' said Khan, former MP from Betul.

Invest in training, fitness and other measures as turf hockey is a game of fitness and physical abilities and most players come from humble background and can't afford resources required for the game, he said.