‘Talking to PM Modi encourages us’: Chief coach Daljender Singh reflects on India’s para hockey journey

Indian para hockey chief coach Daljender Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr Mallika Nadda and Special Olympics Bharat for supporting the team’s first FIH World Cup appearance. He said training camps, infrastructure and international exposure helped India perform well and secure 11th place globally

New Delhi: Indian para hockey chief coach Daljender Singh has hailed the support received by the team from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr Mallika Nadda and Special Olympics Bharat (SOB), saying the encouragement and infrastructure provided to the players helped India compete at the FIH World Cup for the first time and finish 11th in the world rankings.

Daljender said SOB played an important role in preparing the players for the international stage by organising camps and making arrangements for their participation in the tournament. “First of all, I would like to thank the Honourable Prime Minister Modi ji and Dr Mallika Nadda, who fully support us, and the entire SOB (Special Olympics Bharat) organisation, which made excellent arrangements for these children and set up camps, enabling us to play in the FIH World Cup,” Daljender said.

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The Indian team competed in a 16-team field, with eight sides each in Pool A and Pool B. For the players, the tournament represented their first experience of performing at a global event, and Daljender said he was pleased with how they responded to the challenge.

“The children gave a very good performance, as it was their first experience, and they did well there. We had 16 teams, with 8 in Pool B and 8 in Pool A. We are ranked 11th in the world rankings. I am very happy that the children enjoyed themselves there,” he added.

Beyond the results, Daljender said the international exposure had given the players an opportunity to enjoy representing India and to test themselves against teams from around the world.

The chief coach also spoke about the impact of encouragement from Prime Minister Modi, saying interactions with him provided additional motivation to both the coaching staff and the players. “I get a lot of encouragement from him.

Talking to the Prime Minister gives me a lot of encouragement, and I feel like playing with more enthusiasm. The children also try a lot to get a chance to talk to the Prime Minister, and he is very helpful,” he stated.