Hockey India adds 126 umpires and judges for competitions

The candidates have become eligible to be appointed for HI-sanctioned sub-junior and junior category tournaments.

New Delhi: Hockey India (HI) said on Monday that it has added 126 candidates to its list of umpires and judges following two sets of online workshops from September last year till March 2021.

The candidates have become eligible to be appointed for HI-sanctioned sub-junior and junior category tournaments.

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The umpires and judges — 89 men and 37 women — hailing from 19 states, were shortlisted from an initial list of 227 candidates. The 227 candidates were selected via an induction programme after they were nominated by their respective state member units.

The induction programme for both umpires and technical officials was divided into three levels. Level 1 was designed to provide the candidates with basic knowledge of the latest international hockey federation (FIH) rules and regulations, among others.

In order to achieve Level 2, the candidates had to pass an online test based on the Level 1 sessions.

Level 3 sessions were based on FIH general tournament regulations, FIH guidelines for fitness of umpires, information on match reports and statistics for technical officials.

Following the completion of the Level 3 workshops, a final assessment of the eligible candidates was made online.

HI president Gyanendro Ningombam said: “It’s fantastic to note that 126 new candidates have become eligible to officiate in Hockey India sanctioned tournaments. Along with focusing on the growth of players at the grassroots, it’s equally important to focus on increasing the strength of umpires and judges and providing them with an opportunity to hone their officiating skills.”