Mumbai: World Series Hockey (WSH) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) have jointly announced a mega incentive plan to motivate the Indian hockey players to ‘Strive for Gold’ at the 2012 London Olympics.
The current hockey eco-system needs to be re-invigorated to ensure players are looked after and their remuneration is substantially corrected and brought to par with other sports like Cricket. The legacy of Indian hockey at the Olympics is unmatched with the national team winning 11 medals including 8 Golds.
With an objective to motivate and reward the Indian hockey players, WSH and IHF have announced the following incentive plans”
- WSH players who make it to the Indian Team at the Olympic Qualifiers: Rs 5 lakhs to every WSH player in the Indian Team
- Indian team qualifies for the 2012 Olympics: An additional Rs 5 lakhs to every WSH player in the Indian Team
- Indian team wins Bronze Medal at the 2012 Olympics: Rs 50 lakhs (divided equally amongst all WSH players in the team)
- Indian team win Silver Medal at the 2012 Olympics: Rs 1 Crore (divided equally amongst all WSH players in the team)
- Indian team win Gold Medal at the 2012 Olympics: Rs 2 Crore (divided equally amongst all WSH players in the team)
Yannick Colaco, COO, Nimbus Sport said, “WSH is committed towards looking after the hockey players and ensuring that they are motivated to perform at the highest level. This is the biggest incentive plan that has ever been announced to encourage the national team to ‘Strive for Gold’ at any International hockey tournament and WSH is proud to lead the entire transformation process in Indian hockey”
RK Shetty, President, Indian Hockey Federation said, “Success at the 2012 London Olympics will be a matter of immense national pride. IHF is committed towards creating multiple opportunities for the players to excel. WSH provides a highly competitive domestic league for the players to be prepared to compete at International levels. The incentive plan is to further motivate the players to perform at the global stage”
The WSH will be held from December 17, 2011 to January 22, 2012 and will involve 200 leading players -- Indian and international -- who will showcase their talent in 61 matches. It will be a multi-city franchise-based League with players being allocated to the teams based on the internationally accepted and practised ‘draft’ system.
The inaugural edition of the league will comprise eight teams out of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela.
Hockey players, for the first time, will have a global platform to exhibit their skills for which they will be financially rewarded. The legacy created by the planned upgrading of infrastructure across the country will benefit hockey for generations to come.
