HI gets sports ministry approval to conduct camps

MUMBAI: The tension between sports ministry and Hockey India was resolved Monday following the former?s clearance of preparatory camp for the 2012 London Olympics to be held at Sports Authority of India centre in Bangalore starting Tuesday.

?The camp will begin in Bangalore tomorrow. We have also got approval on LTDP from the Sports Ministry,? Batra told reporters after a Steering Committee meeting of the Ministry.

The ministry, which also approved hockey?s Long Term Development Programme (LTDP) till Olympics, said that it was HI which had changed the dates of the camp in order to scuttle the World Series Hockey, an IHF initiative.

Batra refused to answer questions on the fate of players who are playing in the unsanctioned league.

?I don?t want to say anything on that. Let the camp begin tomorrow and see who are the players who report to the camp,? he said.

Batra also revealed that HI has got in-principal approval for the India-Pakistan series. ?In principle we have got the permission, but we are yet to get permission from the Home and External Affairs ministry,? he said.