Seventy-two goals in 12 matches spread across two days, it's raining goals in the Indian capital, but not many seem bothered. The Olympic qualifiers for hockey going on at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium aren't attracting as many eyeballs as was expected.
The nation is sweating it out to put the 2008 setback behind it, but not even half the stadium was full in the two matches Indian men and women each have played so far. Sad, but it seems the national game will have to do it with modest support.
The men's section of the qualifiers has produced 51 goals in two days, with India scoring a whopping 23 of those in two games; however, the cheer that follows is only minimally louder than the ball sounding the board. The situation in non-India matches is even worse, where only the 'Yeahs!' by players make all the noise.
The women qualifiers, which are being played simultaneously, have been hit the worse – albeit expectedly. The 21 goals scored in the six games played so far weren't well attended at all. The performance of Indian eves hasn't helped either. A 1-1 draw against lowly Ukraine was a downer even though they turned tables on Canada (4-1) to win the next one.
There's no doubt that men’s hockey is better received than women's in India. But the crowd was only minimally larger when India's big boys hammered Singapore (15-1) and Italy (8-1). And that's where the disappointment has risen.
To its credit, Hockey India has done a good job by scheduling all India matches at 6 p.m. (women) and 8 p.m. (men), but where they seem to have faltered is in pricing the tickets. Rs. 300 and Rs. 500 tickets are hardly inviting when none of the opponents are expected to trouble India. The governing body has tried to correct the mistake by selling 'special tickets' to students, players and hockey academies at Rs. 10 each for February 22, provided they show a valid identity card. It's a good initiative, but what logic does it serve to do it for one day? That too a weekday! If anything, it should be a regular feature for all hockey tournaments. Why they have done it for just one day is a question that only Hockey India can answer.
Talking to a street vendor across the road, where the Delhi Zoological Park is located, one gets an idea how well, or how bad, the tournament is being received. "I'm here from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., but I haven't noticed an increase in the footfall like during the Commonwealth Games," said the vendor, ending with this question: "Is there something going on in the stadium?"
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