As if the failure to make it to the Beijing Olympics was not bad enough, India could miss out on hosting the 2010 men's hockey World Cup as well if the FIH is not satisfied with the steps taken to revive the game in the country.
The world body has provisionally allotted the mega event to New Delhi, but the FIH Executive Board will decide in its meetings starting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 25, whether to confirm the proposal.
"The FIH Executive Board will discuss further steps to be taken on continuing the project 'Promoting Indian Hockey' and on the decision on the staging of the 2010 Men's World Cup in New Delhi," the president of the world body Els van Breda Vriesman said in an official statement.
She indicated that the hosting rights for the 2010 World Cup were subject to the Indian Hockey Federation getting its act together and showing some initiative in putting the game back on the track in the country.
"It has been made clear that the staging of the 2010 World Cup is related to the success of the project and the world body is still waiting for signs that things are really going to happen in India," Vriesman said.
FIH had done its bit by launching the 'Promoting Indian Hockey' project and getting Australian legend Ric Charlesworth as IHF's Technical Adviser, but it seems the world body is not satisfied that the KPS Gill-led Federation is keeping its end of the bargain.
"The result (in Chile) shows that Indian Hockey now needs to implement the Operational Plans which have been provided nearly a year ago as part of the project 'Promoting Indian Hockey' without any further delay.
"In these plans, Ric Charlesworth is going to play an instrumental role for a more structural development of Indian hockey in the long term, while he can also be of great assistance on the short term with the help of the Indian Ministry of Sports and the Indian Hockey Confederation," the FIH boss said.
"The project 'Promoting Indian Hockey', supported by the FIH, the International Olympic Committee and the Indian Olympic Association, should be taken seriously to achieve progress in the identified areas of concern, amongst them the national teams of India," she added.
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