Indian Hockey Federation was facing an acute funds crisis which was hampering its bid to promote and develop the game in the country, its president K P S Gill said today. "At the moment, funds for IHF are just not there," Gill told reporters soon after being re-elected to the post for the third consecutive term.He said the Federation required an income of Rs 10 crore annually to keep it running smoothly while now its revenue was touching a mere Rs 3-4 crore."Corporate sponsorship is not adequate to meet the requirements of the Federation and to promote the sport. We have, however approached some big corporate houses to generate additional funds," he claimed. Four new units - Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh - were included in the Federation today. The meeting was attended by all 35 units. Regarding future plans, the IHF chief said the goal of the new executive committee was to see that India did well at the international level.Incidentally, India's performance last year raised hopes of a new beginning for the game in the country, with the junior team winning the World Cup and the seniors claiming the honours in the Champions Challenge Trophy. "Besides, the new executive committee will also stress on popularising hockey in places where it was not played," he said. He said efforts would also be made to develop and revive the game in regions where it had lost its popularity. (PTI)
IHF faced with acute funds crisis: Gill
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