Former India Goalkeeper and Head Coach Romeo James Nominated for Dhyan Chand Award

Former Indian Hockey goalkeeper and head coach Romeo James was congratulated by Hockey India after being nominated for the Dhyan Chand Award this year for his outstanding contribution to Indian Hockey. (Dipsan Tirkey Confident India  will Defend Sultan of Johor Cup)

James had a great career both as a player and later as a coach. He was part of Indian hockey team who won the silver medal at the 1982 Asian Games held at Delhi. He was the lead goalkeeper for India at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where India finished fifth. At the National front, he was captain of the Services Team which lifted the National Hockey Championship in 1982 & 1985. (India Hockey Umpire Deepak Joshi to Officiate Globally)

He also had an outstanding coaching career to his credit and passed on his knowledge and experience to the teams from National to International levels. (Hockey India Offers Financial Help to Pakistan Hockey Federation)

He coached the Indian Hockey team at the 2010 FIH Hockey World Cup. Under his guidance, the team won the silver medal at the 1994 Asian Games held in Hiroshima.

He was even instrumental in shaping-up the team where they won Indira Gandhi International Gold Cup at Lucknow in 1994.

At the National level, he guided Bharat Petroleum from 1994 to 2008 in which they won the Major Tournaments.

These included the Nehru Gold Cup, the Murugappa Gold Cup, Surjit Singh Memorial in Jalandhar, Gurmit Memorial in Chandigarh, Lal Bhadur Shastri Hockey tournament in New Delhi, Bombay Gold Cup, Maharaja Ranjit Singh tournament and the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) tournament.

Congratulating James on the momentous occasion, Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad, Secretary General, Hockey India said it has been great working with him.

"He has tremendously contributed to Indian Hockey and has been exceptional on the field both as a player as well as a coach," he said.

"He has successfully served Indian Hockey for more than four decades and has helped groom many star goalkeepers like Bharat Chetri and Adrian D'Souza during his tenure. He has been a great motivation for the young Indian talent and we congratulate him on this wonderful achievement," he added.