Good news for Indian hockey fans !!

India beats Canada to 6-4 to book Athens berth
Madrid, March 9. (PTI): India booked its berth for the Athens Olympics
hockey after beating Canada 6-4 in the final Pool B match here today.

The win also put India, with 10 points, in the semifinals of the
competition. The second semifinalists from the pool will be decided
after the match between Pakistan and New Zealand later in the day.

Score: India 6 (Deepak Thakur-3; Arjun Halappa, Dilip Tirkey, Ignace
Tirkey) beat Canada 4 (Sean Campbell-2, Rob Short, Paul Wettlaufer).
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More good news for hockey fans as IHF president K.P.S.Gill gives
the players their due.
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Indian hockey enters new league
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, MARCH 09, 2004 04:00:59 AM ]

NEW DELHI: Indian hockey is finally ready to launch its new national
league.

IHF president K.P.S. Gill, announcing the landmark decision, declared
that over Rs 70 lakh will be offered as prize money when it gets going
shortly after the Olympic Games in Athens.

"We are doing everything to make it racier and more exciting," Gill
said at a press conference on Monday. "Each game will be divided into
four quarters and even provide for timeouts," he added.

The good news is that ESPN-Star Sports is also a partner in this
project for ten years. "We will telecast all the games in Tier I
live," R.C. Venkateish, managing director of ESPN Software India Pvt
Ltd, told TNN. "All the teams will be given money to sustain
themselves," he added.

Event managers Leisure Sports Management's S.S. Dasgupta pointed out
that the league format has been conceived after two years of research.
"We are confident of lining up the sponsors well before the league
starts," he said.

"There will be relegation and promoton just like in all top football
leagues," Gill said. "The idea is to make hockey popular in masses
again."
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P.S.: Let's hope KPS Gill's idea succeeds. If it does, Indian hockey
will get a fresh lease of life.