‘‘Gold medal at Rio Olympics will inspire youngsters”, says Indian Hockey captain Sardar Singh
WITH EXACTLY A YEAR to go for the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Indian Hockey team is leaving no stone unturned in their quest to win their 9th gold medal in men’s hockey. Captain Sardar Singh seems confident about India’s chances, saying it will ‘inspire’ a new generation to take up the sport.
In a telephonic interview with rio2016.com, Singh expressed his excitement to represent India at the Olympic level, this time with added fervour and intense preparations. The 29-year old player from Haryana has been an integral part of the national team since 2006. According to Singh, this will be India’s best shot to win a gold medal for the first time in 36 years.
“If we could win an Olympic medal for the Indian people after so many years without having one, it would be amazing. A new generation of youngsters would be inspired to take up hockey. When India won the 1975 World Cup, crowds waited for them at the airport and there was an open-top bus tour around all the major cities. It was really cool and I think it would be similar if we could win a medal in Rio.”
The Indian team is the most successful team in Olympic history, having won eight gold medals so far. However, they haven’t reached the podium ever since the 1980 Moscow Games. This time though, they seem to have already announced their intentions by becoming the first men’s team to qualify for Rio. Sardar and his team will be playing at the Olympic Hockey Centre in Deodoro Olympic Park, the second largest venue of the Games. Singh believes Indian fans will be present in large numbers to support their favourite team.
“There will be many Indian fans in Rio, and they always make a lot of noise and create a very good atmosphere,” he said. “There are lots of Indian hockey fans who have already got their tickets for Rio, and not just from India, from all over the world – from Great Britain and from Canada, for example.”
Singh also added that the team’s performance has improved over a period of time and they’re all looking forward to participate in the 2016 Rio Games.
“Last year we did a lot of work on improving our defence and played very well at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games,” he said. “The team is improving, we have a lot of young players who are learning a lot and they are impressing me. Everyone is listening to each other, we are training very well and we are looking forward to a good performance in Rio.
“We have a year left and we have lots of areas to improve on, but we are working on that and now is the time to get everything right. If we keep the same guys and play well, I believe something good will happen for us in Rio. But it won’t be easy, we have to work hard."
