FIH hand India Lion's share

By K. Arumugam

Events that India got include
2011 FIH Men’s Champions Trophy – India, 26th November-4th December.
2012 Olympic Qualifiers men and women in February
2013 World Series Round 4: India (M) – 8-15 September
2013 Junior World Cup (M&W) - India, 2-17 November 2013
2014 FIH Women’s Champions Trophy – India, February

India gets a bonanza of sorts getting valuable tournaments allotted by the FIH. This hockey conscious country will stage almost all genres of major tournaments in the next four years including Junior World Cups, Champions Trophies, Olympic Qualifiers and a round of World Series. India got a lion's share of tournaments for its soils when the FIH in its Congress yesterday decided the calendar for next four years.
During the course of the March World Cup, FIH president Leondro Negri announced major tournaments for every year, and it looks he fulfilled his words now
Most heartening development in the sequence of allotment is inclusion of many events for women, a vastly potential but under-harnessed asset of India. Further, with some tournaments of 2014 yet to be decided for want of takers (?), India might chip in for a slice there also.
The grand success of both the World Cup and Commonwealth Games, where the enthusiastic crowd was the talking point, must have prompted the FIH to go for India kill.
The allotment of Olympic Qualifiers in 2012 is a great step, which will help India to get into the Olympic company in case Asian Games do not prove good enough. This is a godsend for Indian women, in particular, to resurrect themselves.
Meanwhile The Netherlands will host next men's and women's World cup at The Hague in 2004.