AS PER the Champions Trophy schedule, it was India who was supposed to host the prestigious hockey competition, where the top hockey playing nations of the world would be present. It was originally scheduled to be played in the capital of India, New Delhi, starting from December 3, 2011. It was the International Hockey Federation (FIH), which took the decision of removing the hosting rights from India. The FIH has said that the decision was taken due to the ‘problematic governance of sports in India’.

As India would not be playing in the tournament now, so they have been invited to play for another tournament, Champions Challenge in South Africa, in the month of November. It seems that the Indian hockey players who were very eager to play in the Champions Trophy must be satisfied with the Champions Challenge in South Africa.

It is the Indian hockey team, which would bear a great loss as they would not be playing in one of the most high profile hockey tournaments in the world. The Indian team would not be allowed to compete in the competition as the top 6 ranked teams get a chance to participate as India ranks 9th in the world. India was allowed to participate in its original schedule as they were the hosts for the competition. As a result of India’s absence from the competition, India’s chances for qualification in the 2012 London Olympics also got affected.

The Indian hockey standards have been on the decline as compared to the teams from the past, where the Indian team used to be the most feared team in international hockey. It is different now.  Other countries such as Netherlands, Germany, and Australia have climbed the ranking charts and have become the top teams in modern hockey.