Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Oct 10: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur said on Sunday that federations should consult with the government first before deciding to pull out of Commonwealth Games 2022.
“I think any federation should refrain from passing these kinds of statements. They should discuss it with the government first, the federation’s team is not going. It is the country’s team that goes for an event. In a country of 130 crores, there just are not 18 players who can represent the country. I believe Hockey India should consult with the government and the sports department”, said Anurag Thakur.
“If you see Cricket, IPL is going on and then there is World Cup. If they can play then why cannot the same be done in other sports? I understand Asian Games is being prioritized, I am not going in this issue, I am just saying where India will be playing just does not lie with the federation, it lies with the government also”, he added.
Notably, Hockey India announced on 6 October that it would not send its team to Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham as it wants to priorities Asian Games. Speaking about the decision taken to withdraw from Commonwealth Games, Gyanendro Ningombam, President, Hockey India said that the Asian Games 2022 is certainly a very important tournament for us since it’s a continental qualification event for Paris Olympics 2024.
