Ganesh to head National Hockey Academy in Delhi

Former captain and coach of the national team M P Ganesh on Thursday took charge as the High Performance Director and CEO of the National Hockey Academy to be based at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.

Till now Ganesh was serving as the CEO of Karnataka State Cricket Association.

Former captain and coach of the national team M P Ganesh on Thursday took charge as the High Performance Director and CEO of the National Hockey Academy to be based at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.

“Hockey Olympian MP Ganesh takes over as the High Performance Director & CEO of National Hockey Academy in New Delhi,” Hockey India confirmed the news on its official Twitter handle.

Till now Ganesh was serving as the CEO of Karnataka State Cricket Association. The National Hockey Academy in New Delhi is a joint venture of the Sports Authority of India and the sport ministry aimed at identifying junior hockey talent and facilitating their holistic development.

The National Hockey Academy, which took two years to be set up, will be a residential project for 40 boys and an equal number of girls below the age of 18. About 70 players from each category have been shortlisted by Hockey India selectors from the sub-junior Nationals held recently. After a few weeks of trials, the numbers will be brought down to 40. There will be three coaches each for the boys and girls.

The 70-year-old Ganesh hails from the famous hockey belt of Kodagu, earlier known as Coorg, district of Karnataka. An Arjuna awardee, Ganesh played for India at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, finishing third. He was one of the coaches of the Indian team that won a gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

He represented India in the Asian Games twice, first in 1970 in Bangkok and then in 1974 in Tehran. Both the times India returned home with a silver medal. He was also a part of the Indian team that won bronze at the first World Cup at Barcelona in 1971 and captained the team that won silver at the next World Cup in Amsterdam.

Ganesh last played for India in 1974 before his career was cut short by a knee injury.

Post his playing days, Ganesh was the official coach of the Indian team that participated in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, 1989 Champions Trophy in Berlin, 1990 Indira Gandhi International Hockey Tournament in Lucknow and the 1990 World Cup in Karachi.