Gyanendro Ningomban elected as Hockey India president

Gyanendro Ningomban was elected unopposed at a congress held in New Delhi, while Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad will be senior vice-president.

Gyanendro Ningombam, who was elected for a term of two years, has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Manipur Hockey between 2009 and 2014. (Representative Image)

Gyanendro Ningombam’s ascension as Hockey India president was formalised after being elected unopposed at the 10th Hockey India Congress here on Friday.

Ningombam had been designated officiating president after former president Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad had been forced to resign on July 7 following pressure from the sports ministry in adhering to the sports code. Mushtaque is now back in the HI Executive Board after being unanimously elected as the senior vice-president, the post Ningombam held, the two effectively exchanging positions.

READ |

Ningombam, elected for a period of two years, had previously been CEO of Manipur Hockey from 2009-2014. The Congress was attended virtually by most members due to COVID-19 restrictions.

- HI advertises for HPD, analytical coach -

Hockey India has also finally advertised for a new High Performance Director and an analytical coach for the men’s team with November 15 being the last date for application. The posts have been vacant ever since David John and Chris Ciriello quit in the midst of the pandemic citing health reasons.

However, the conditions set by HI put it beyond most available coaches across the world and almost all Indian ones. For the HPD, HI has mentioned 'minimum 10 years' of experience at high-performance level, including Olympic Games and World Cup experience’ and preferably a 'minimum of FIH Level 3 coach certification’. For the analytical coach, ‘experience of successful performance achievements at the highest coaching level,’ is important. Only former coach Harendra Singh fulfills the criteria.

With the initial tenure only till September 2021 (Tokyo Olympics), it would be a tough ask to find suitable candidates. Most of the established names are already committed and HI might have to restrict itself to the unattached ones. Applications have also been invited for coaching positions at various High Performance Centres across the country, including Bhopal and Bengaluru.

- Mizoram best unit -

Hockey Mizoram has been awarded as 2019-20’s best state unit for working towards the growth of hockey at all levels and developing a well-oiled coaching setup equipped with modern techniques. Javed Shaikh was named the best umpire.