Gyanendro Ningombam elected as President of Hockey India

The 10th Hockey India Congress took place in New Delhi on Friday.

Manipur's Gyanendro Ningombam was elected unopposed as the President of Hockey India while former President Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad is back in the Hockey India Executive Board after being elected unopposed for the Senior Vice President post.

The elections were held in New Delhi where the newly elected President and Senior Vice President officially took charge of their duties. Access to the meeting through video conferencing facility was also made available for member units who were unable to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions imposed by their respective state governments.

After being elected unopposed, Gyanendro Ningombam becomes the first President from the North East region to spearhead Hockey India. He formerly held the position of officiating President after Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad had tendered his resignation in July this year. Ningombam, who has been elected for a term of two years, has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Manipur Hockey between 2009-2014 and has been associated with the state's jockey for over a decade.

He has been actively involved in developing hockey at the grassroots in the North East region and is committed to developing the sport further in his new role as President of Hockey India. Mohd. Mushtaque Ahmad, on the other hand, is a veteran in sports administration with decades of experience. Under his leadership, Hockey India went on to host several major international tournaments including the FIH Men's World Cup in 2018. He has been involved with Hockey India in different capacities in the past and most recently held the post of President till July 2020.

"I congratulate Mr Gyanendro Ningombam on being elected unopposed as the President of Hockey India and welcome Mr Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad back into the Hockey India Executive Board in a new capacity as the Senior Vice President. Both Gyanendro and Mushtaque have several years of experience in hockey administration and I am confident their expertise will benefit the sport," stated Rajinder Singh, Secretary-General, Hockey India.

"We had a very fruitful meeting today with representatives from all state member units and there were various discussion points. Planning for the upcoming year 2021 was key discussion point, where the status of competitions for all four National teams were discussed and the need for more international exposure for both the senior and junior teams which will be key in the preparations leading up to the Olympics and Junior World Cups respectively," he concluded.