BHUBANESWAR 04-Feb-2007 74
It’s now official. Orissa’s new woman hockey internationals Binita Xess and Poonam Toppo will be representing Jharkhand in the National Games, starting at Guwahati on February 9. As the continuous exodus of needy hockey talents from Orissa failed to jerk the State Government from its deep slumber, Jharkhand announced its women’s team for the Games, which featured six internationals from Orissa, including National skipper Jyoti Sunita Kullu.
Sources in the local hockey circle say that more than 25 prominent women hockey players of Orissa have signed to play for five of the eight best teams in the ensuing Games. No wonder that after losing so many players, Orissa has been forced to select its second-rung team. Even as Binita and Poonam became the latest to bid adieu, more than 30 internationals quit Orissa during the past 15 years in search of greener pastures.
It is learnt that Jharkhand, which lured away Binita recently by promising her a job with the South Eastern Raiway, has promised Rs 3 lakh to each of the six Orissa players if they win the gold medal at the National Games. Peeved at the exodus of talent, former hockey Olympian Micheal Kindo accused the State Governmemnt of ‘complete failure’.
‘‘For decades Orissa has been serving as the hockey nursery of the country. But the flowers are blooming elsewhere.’’ Orissa Women’s Hockey Association president and former tribal MP on Friday Topno and secretary Lalatendu Das echoed similar views. Both said the association had been fighting in vain since 1991 to awaken the government on the ‘talent drain’.
