The Indian men's hockey team hockey coach Graham Reid on Tuesday expressed his disappointment over the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 but admitted that it will give another year to work with his young squad.
In an unprecedented but expected move, the organisers of the Tokyo Games on Tuesday postponed the quadrennial event in the wake of coronavirus outbreak which has become a pandemic. Asking for a one-year postponement of the Games over, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the step is unavoidable if the Olympic Games cannot be held in a complete manner.
"It is very disappointing that the Olympics will not go ahead in 2020, but given the unprecedented circumstances facing the world at present, it is totally understandable and expected. I feel sorry for all the athletes who have dedicated the last 4 years of their life for this, however postponement rather than cancellation will give most of them enough motivation to continue to push through this tough period," Reid said.
Indian men's hockey team, the most successful side in the history of Olympics hockey and the first ever-side to win six gold medals in a row, have been clubbed alongside second-ranked Australia, defending champions Argentina, top-ten rivals New Zealand and Spain, and hosts Japan in a tough pool. But the young team led by Manpreet Singh are having a good run in the FIH Pro League, and Reid believes that India can only improve.
He further added, "The positive in this situation for us is that we have another year to work with this young squad. We are lucky that SAI has provided us with a safe environment and that we can continue to train. Unlike many other countries, there is no time lost for us. We will now rework our programme and be ready for International competition as soon as restrictions are lifted. I think the recent FIH Hockey Pro League games against the top 3 teams in the world showed that we are competitive. I’m excited to think about what this team can do with another year under its belt."
Women's coach Sjoerd Marijne said the girls' motivation is undeterred by the news of the postponement of the Olympic Games. The hockey eves have also been drawn in a tough pool, comprising Germany, defending champions Great Britain, the Netherlands, Ireland and South Africa.
"I just had a meeting with the team and broke this news to the group. Though it is disappointing, the girls told me, 'It's ok, Coach. We will continue to work the way we are and this probably gives us more time to prepare for the Olympic Games and be our best.' Clearly, the girls' motivation is undeterred by this announcement and we will continue to look at the positives and work hard to be our best. I am sure once the situation around Covid-19 improves, we will sit down with Hockey India management to plan out a fresh calendar for the preparations leading up to the Olympics next year," he said.
Meanwhile, following the postponement due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Hockey India said that they will be working closely with both the coaches in order to work out on a new suitable schedule.
Both the teams are undergoing rigorous training schedules at the Sports Authority of India campus in Bengaluru to keep the preparations on track for the quadrennial event.
"We have informed the chief coaches about the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Of course, there is a sense of disappointment but the COVID-19 situation is unprecedented and has impacted the entire world. We will, however, continue our pursuit along with the Indian Olympic Association (IOC), Ministry, Youth Affairs & Sports and Sports Authority of India (SAI) to achieve success at the Olympic Games and our goals remain unchanged. We will do everything in our capacity to offer the best competition and training opportunities for both our teams in the lead up to the Olympic Games," stated Hockey India president Mohd. Mushtaque Ahmad.
The Hockey India, after consultation with SAI, will hold a meeting with the coaches of both teams, in order to map out a training and fixture schedule for the teams who were to take part in the Olympic Games in July-August next year.
