Asian Hockey C’ship in August: Udhayanidhi

CHENNAI: The Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin, on Wednesday announced that the Asian Men’s Hockey Championship would be hosted at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here in August.

Udhayanidhi, during a free-wheeling interaction with reporters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here, added that his department would extend financial assistance for hosting the continental event. A Hockey India (HI) crew had inspected the venue in February and will make another visit, during which the dates of the championship will be finalised.

“They (the visiting members) had requested a few facilities. We have assured that we would provide them. Last year, we had spent about Rs 1.5 crore on the turf,” said Udhayanidhi, adding that the sports development department would do its bit for hosting the revamped Squash World Cup in the city in June.

The World Squash Federation (WSF) had announced that the World Cup, a team event which is making a comeback after 12 years with a new format, would be held in Chennai from June 13 to 17. Udhayanidhi reiterated that the State is prepared to organise international and national events, citing the successful hosting of the Chess Olympiad last year as an example.

“With the Chess Olympiad, we showed that we can host a world-level event, even on short notice. We have requested the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Sports Minister (Anurag Thakur) to give us the hosting rights for the Khelo India Games. We have also requested a SAI (Sports Authority of India) centre in the State.”

Dhoni, ambassador for ‘TN Champions Foundation’

Udhayanidhi revealed that former India captain and current Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni would be the brand ambassador for the ‘Tamil Nadu Champions Foundation’, for which the department would seek help from corporates. “We have allocated Rs 3 crore for the same, but need the support of those interested in the development of the State’s sports ecosystem,” said the sports minister.

Udhayanidhi also said that the process to appoint foreign coaches for athletics, hockey and tennis is under way. “We are interviewing candidates. They (the coaches) will be appointed soon. They will initially work with the state teams.”