‘Batra brought money in Indian hockey,' says former hockey player

Narinder Batra

Narinder Batra, who stepped down from his positions as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and International Hockey Federation (FIH) president on Monday, did more good than bad during his association with sport, believe some former players.

"Let's not forget that before FIH and IOA, Batra was part of Hockey India and also the Asian Hockey Federation. He was instrumental in introducing the franchise-based Hockey India League, where Indian players made millions. That kind of money in Indian hockey was unheard of," said a former player, who preferred to be unnamed.

High-handed, but fair

Batra was often said to have been high-handed and authoritarian during his regime with some of his IOA colleagues also going on record about the same. The players, however, were always well treated. "He may have been high-handed and sometimes even rude to people, but he never ignored the needs of players. Let's not forget that the Indian hockey team won a historic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while he was at the helm at IOA. This wouldn't have happened if our hockey players were not given numerous international exposure trips," added another player, also wishing anonymity.

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On Monday, in three separate handwritten letters, addressed to the IOA secretary general, IOC President and the FIH Executive Board, Batra stated that he is resigning from all posts due to personal reasons. Batra had ceased to be IOA president after the Delhi High Court had struck down his post of ‘Life Member' in Hockey India. He had contested and won the 2017 IOA elections on the basis of this post. However, his resignation from the FIH position comes as a surprise. Batra became the FIH president in 2016 and was re-elected for a second term at the FIH Congress in Lausanne, Switzerland, last year. His term was to end in 2024.

FIH elections in November

Following Batra's resignation, FIH said in a statement that, "the Executive Board shall appoint an acting President to hold office until the FIH Congress appoints a person to fill the vacancy."

It also stated that "the next Presidential elections will take place during the upcoming FIH Congress which is to be held virtually from November 4 to 5 this year."