An attempt to form a new national field hockey organization in India was opposed Thursday by state officials, who termed the move illegal. The Indian Olympic Association announced the formation of a unified body – Hockey India – on Wednesday after the International Hockey Federation threatened to take the World Cup away from New Delhi if the country did not have a single national association governing both the men's and women's game. The IOA said it had given provisional affiliation to Hockey India, while disaffiliating the two associations separately running men's and women's hockey. The IOA has been governing men's field hockey for one year through an administrative panel, after suspending the IHF in the wake of bribery accusations against a top official. The IHF's state associations are planning a meeting in New Delhi next week to voice their opposition to Hockey India.
