Suresh Kalmadi dismisses security threat to hockey World Cup
New Delhi: President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Suresh Kalmadi has expressed hopes of hosting a successful hockey World Cup amid security threat. Expressing satisfaction with the security arrangements made by the police, Kalmadi
said: "I'm happy with all the security steps taken by the Delhi police and I'm sure the World Cup will go off very well." The organisers of the World Cup have undertaken
extra security measures for the teams. New Delhi is hosting the 12-team hockey
World Cup from February 28 to March 13 and is also gearing up for the
Commonwealth Games in October. Meanwhile, eight-time hockey gold medallists
India feel they have an advantage in the forthcoming Hockey World Cup, which
starts in the national capital on Sunday. Addressing the media, captain Rajpal Singh
said that the strength of his team was in having three drag flickers. "We have three
drag flickers in the team, which is a rare possibility in any other team, and the
forward line is very good, all the three drag flickers are in the defence," Singh said.
Pakistan will play India on the opening day of the tournament. Zeeshan Ashraf, who
leads the Pakistan side, feels that his team stands a better chance as it has won the
past few matches against India. "It's very good that the first match will be played
between India and Pakistan. Both teams will face pressure, India will have the home
crowd advantage, but we have in mind that we have won last two-three matches we
have played against India, this is the advantage we have," Ashraf said. "We have
some very senior players who are capable of controlling the game. They will have the
responsibility of coordinating with the juniors and I believe whoever plays a better
game will win," he added.
