Kolkata: PR Sreejesh is a man on a mission. The captain of the Indian men’s hockey team has a vision for the future of the game. And to make use of his expertise, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has included him in the Athletes’ Committee of the world body. There are eight members in the committee which includes both current and ex-players.
“It’s a great honour to be part of the FIH Athletes’ Committee which comprises of legendary players like Moritz Fuerste and other international greats. I am looking forward to this new responsibility,” the Indian hockey captain was quoted by PTI. The job of the committee is to play the role of a mediator between the players and the FIH so that the players’ concerns are addressed.
Elaborating on his role as a member of the prestigious committee Sreejesh said, “We get to work together to develop the game and put forth players concerns and suggestions. It’s a great initiative by the FIH to directly involve the players and I look forward to giving my suggestions with the inputs of our coaching staff, my team who I am sure will support me in this new endeavor. I see this as a great responsibility in terms of helping FIH develop the game globally.”
Born to a family of farmers in the Kizhakkambalam village, in the Ernakulam District, Kerala on May 8, 1986, Sreejesh has made his way up to become a formidable force as a goalkeeper for his country. The Kerala guy debuted for the senior national team in the 2006 South Asian Games in Colombo and has made more than 100 appearances for the country. He took over the reins of captaincy from Sardar Singh last year in July and skippered the team that won the silver medal in the Champions Trophy in London last year.
According to PTI, Sreejesh will be working as a channel between players and the FIH and will be sharing players’ feedback with the FIH. The FIH Athletes’ Committee will also reach out to its counterpart of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other world sports bodies to enable transparency in terms of information and research. The areas that the committee will look into for the benefit the players are health and welfare, career plans, anti-doping, betting and also match-fixing.
(With inputs from PTI)