Indian Hockey: New constitution submitted, election process to be completed by October 9

The election process of Indian Hockey will continue till October 9 to elect a new executive board. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) said in a joint statement after a meeting on Wednesday.

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To avoid a ban, Hockey India has to deliver the final draft of its constitution to the FIH within 10 days. "The first draft of the modified constitution of Hockey India, as directed by the honorable Delhi High Court, has been submitted today to FIH and the CoA, Hockey India will have a final draft delivered within the next ten days. Additionally, the process of elections for Hockey India was mutually decided to be completed by October 9th, 2022," the joint statement read.

The Committee of Administrators (COA) is currently managing Indian Hockey on the orders of the Delhi High Court because of an alleged violation of the National Sports Code. FIH's acting president Seif Ahmed, CEO Thierry Weil, and the members of the CoA, Justice Anil R Dave, former Judge of the Supreme Court, S Y Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, and Zafar Iqbal, a former Olympian attended the meeting on Wednesday.

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"We don't consider the court as a third party and respect the judiciary. We believe that the order of a court is not an interference," Seif Ahmed said.

However, after the meeting, the CoA and FIH appreciate the Odisha government and decided to organize a tournament in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, Odisha, from January 13 to 29, 2023.