Bollywood star, Suniel Shetty ties-in with the World Series Hockey
The involvement of one of the leading Bollywood stars, Suniel Shetty, in the maiden version of the World Series Hockey (WSH) means that Indian hockey players are not the only ones being drawn to the league that will commence on December 17, 2011.
To provide a glamorous touch and to promote the league on the lines of the cricketing event, Indian Premier League (IPL), the Bangalore franchise roped in the eminent Bollywood star as a mentor of the team.
Zentrum Group, which is renowned as global player in various sectors including information technology, consulting, media, chemicals, energy and sports, owns the Bangalore franchise, and named it Karnataka Lions.
WSH, backed by the derecognised Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Nimbus Sports, will be battled out among eight franchise-based teams that comprise both national and international players.
The maiden version of the lucrative league will feature eight squads out of Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Bhopal, Chandigarh and Pune.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and Hockey India (HI) declared the event unofficial, cautioning the players not to participate in it and be prepared for prohibitions in case of insubordination.
Suniel Shetty, the action-hero and producer, anticipated that the cash-rich league will be held in quite a successful manner.
He observed, “Everything is being taken care of as the WSH management is looking into the issue and the organisers are in constant touch with the authorities concerned. I hope that this issue will be a minor one and we overcome all the glitches”.
Shetty maintained that he will work to build infrastructure in Karnataka, giving the youngsters a great chance to showcase their talent.
The actor further stated that everyone associated with the league is working untiringly to promote the national game as well as encourage the players.
He also anticipated that the dispute between the two warring federations will be resolved at the earliest.
It is worth highlighting here that Shetty has not been tied-up with hockey for the first time, as he has worked with numerous sporting events in the past.
The legendary actor-producer underlined, “Hockey needs infrastructure in the country, players need better salary and exposure, and this is what I believe WSH will do, promising an alternate career to kids who do not make it to the national team necessarily”.
To a query regarding the Premier Hockey League (PHL), he answered that they learned many things which they did wrong in the previous event and hopefully will not repeat in the WSH.
In his view, the event will help the national team in preparing for the Olympic Games, that are only months away.
The engagement of Suniel Shetty with the WSH is a first step that will attract more celebrities to make the event successful.
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