Photograph courtesy Stick2Hockey.com

r. Narinder Dhruv Batra was elected president of the world hockey body FIH during the 45th FIH Congress in Dubai.

Voting for president was held on November 12. Dr. Batra (with 68 votes) defeated David Balbirnie of Ireland (29 votes) and Australia's Ken Read (13 votes) to become the 12th FIH President. Voting was by secret ballot, so while the actual vote by country was not known, most of Dr. Batra's votes were expected to come from Asia, Africa and South America.

Dr. Batra succeeds Leandro Negre of Spain, who has been the FIH chief since 2008. Batra became the first non-European President of the FIH in the world body's 92-year-old history. He is also the first Indian to head any international sports federation for an Olympic sport.

During Dr. Batra's time as head of Hockey India, India was awarded the following tournaments:

• Men's World Cup: 2010 (Delhi), 2018 (to be held in Bhubanesvar)
• Jr. Men's World Cup: 2013 (Delhi), 2016 (Lucknow)
• Men's Champions Trophy: 2014 (Bhubanesvar)
• Men's Hockey World League Final: 2015 (Raipur)

India's Sports Minister Vijay Goel congratulated Dr. Batra on being elected President, and said, "I hope that under Shri Batra, the number of hockey playing nations in the world will increase, and hockey will regain place of prominence in the international arena."

Batra current holds 4 posts in Indian hockey, and said that he would relinquish these posts at the earliest. "I am president of Hockey India (HI), the head of Jammu and Kashmir Hockey Association (JKHA), chairman of the Hockey India League and vice-president of Asian Hockey Federation (AHF). Of these, I will immediately step down from the posts in JKHA and AHF. As and when the new HI chief is elected, I will quit as its chief as well. As per our Constitution, the Executive Board of Hockey India will select or elect a new president within 15 days," he said.

Dr. Batra expressed satisfaction with his tenure at Hockey India. He said "The Indian men's team rose from 12 to 6 in world rankings, and the women's team qualified for Olympics after 36 years. My only regret is that I desperately wanted to start a women's hockey league in India but I failed in that."

Photograph of the Australian men's hockey team courtesy Hockey Australia

he International Festival of Hockey (Men) was held at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Melbourne, from November 23-27, 2016. Four countries participated in the tournament - wold no. 1 Australia, no. 6 India, no. 8 New Zealand and no. 14 Malaysia. Matches of the festival were telecast live on Fox Sports Australia and live streamed on epicentre.tv.

India finished 3rd in the International Festival of Hockey (Men), with the following match results:

Stage	Date	Result	Goal Scorers (India)
Round Robin	Nov 23	Australia 3 - India 2	Rupinderpal Singh (21, 53 min), both PCs
	Nov 24	India 4 - Malaysia 2	Nikkin Thimmaiah (24, 55 min) Rupinderpal Singh (40 min), PC Akashdeep Singh (56 min)
	Nov 26	New Zealand 3 - India 2	Rupinderpal Singh (18m-PS, 57 min-PC)
3rd vs. 4th	Nov 27	India 4 - Malaysia 1	Akashdeep Singh (2 min) Vokkaliga Raghunath (45 min), PC Talvinder Singh (52 min) Rupinderpal Singh (58 min), PC

The final standings were as follows: 1 - Australia, 2 - New Zealand, 3 - India, 4 - Malaysia

The Kookaburras and India then played a 2-test series in Bendigo, Victoria. Each team won one test each, with match results as follows:

Date	Result	Goal Scorers (India)
Nov 29	India 3 - Australia 2	Affan Yousuf (19, 19 min) V. R. Raghunath (44 min), PC
Nov 30	Australia 4 - India 3	Akashdeep Singh (6 min) V. R. Raghunath (22, 25 min), both PCs

The Indian men's team for the Australian tour was as follows:

Goalkeepers: Akash Chikte, Abhinav Kumar Pandey

Defenders: V. R. Raghunath (captain), Rupinderpal Singh (vice-captain), Pardeep Mor, Birendra Lakra, Kothajeet Singh, Surender Kumar

Midfielders: Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, Kangujam Chinglensana Singh, S. K. Uthappa

Forwards: Talvinder Singh, Affan Yousuf, Satbeer Singh, Mohammad Aamir Khan, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Akashdeep Singh

Officials: Roger van Gent (interim coach)

Photograph of the Australian women's hockey team courtesy Hockey Australia

he International Festival of Hockey (Women) was held at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Melbourne, from November 23-27, 2016. World no. 4 Australia and no. 12 India participated in the festival, in the format of a 3-test hockey series. Matches of the festival were shown live on Fox Sports Australia and live streamed on epicentre.tv.

The Indian women's team lost the test series to Australia; match results are shown below.

Date	Result	Goal Scorers (India)
Nov 23	India 1 - Australia 0	Rani Rampal (21 min), PC
Nov 25	Australia 4 - India 1	Rani Rampal (27 min)
Nov 27	Australia 3 - India 1	Vandana Katariya (17 min)

Deepika Thakur was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for her stellar performance in the series.

The Indian women's team for the International Festival of Hockey (women) was as follows:

Goalkeepers: Etimarapu Rajani, Savita

Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra (vice captain), Salima Tete, Navdeep Kaur, Rashmita Minz

Midfielders: Rani Rampal, Deepika Thakur, Navjyot Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Karishma Yadav

Forwards: Vandana Katariya (captain), Poonam Rani, Narinder Kaur, Preeti Dubey, Sonika

Officials: Neil Hawgood (chief coach), David Ian Bell (coach), Helen Mary (coach)

A packed Surjeet Hockey Stadium for the final of the 2016 tournament

he 33rd Indian Oil 'Servo' Surjeet Hockey Tournament was held at the Olympian Surjeet Hockey Stadium, Burlton Park, Jalandhar, from November 4-11, 2016.

The following teams participated in the tournament:

• Pool A: Bharatiya Rail, Bharatiya Nau Sena (Indian Navy), ONGC
• Pool B: Rail Coach Factory (Kapurthala), Indian Oil, Namdhari XI
• Pool C: Punjab & Sindh Bank, Kendriya Reserve Police Bal (CRPF), Sthal Sena (Army)
• Pool D: Bharatiya Vayu Sena (Air Force), Punjab National Bank, Air India

The pool matches were played on a round robin basis, and the winner of each pool qualified for the semi-finals.

Punjab National Bank won the 33rd Surjeet Hockey Tournament, with the following match results:

Stage	Date	Punjab National Bank	Date	Sthal Sena (Army)
Pool	Nov 5	beat Bharatiya Vayu Sena 5-4	Nov 7	beat Kendriya Reserve Police Bal 5-1
	Nov 7	beat Air India 3-2	Nov 9	drew with Punjab & Sindh Bank 1-1
Semis	Nov 10	beat Namdhari XI 1-0	Nov 10	beat Bharatiya Rail 2-2 (4-3), PS
Final	Nov 11	beat Sthal Sena 1-1 (6-5), PS

The winning men's team bagged 5 lakh, while the runner up bagged 2.5 lakh. Gagandeep Singh Jr. of Punjab National Bank was declared the Player of the Tournament and given a cash award of 25,000.

The men's tournament semi-finals and final were telecast live on the PTC News Channel. The final was also broadcast live on Akashvani Jalandhar radio station.

In the women's section, the following 6 teams participated - Paschim Rail (Western Railway), Mumbai, Hariyana, Uttar Madhya Rail (North Central Railway), Punjab, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala and Madhya Rail (Central Railway).

Paschim Rail won the women's tournament, beating Hariyana 4-2 in the final. The winning women's team bagged 1 lakh, while the runner up bagged 75,000. Jaspreet Kaur of Hariyana was declared the Player of the Tournament and given a cash award of 11,000.

Champions of the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament - Bharatiya Rail

he Torex 53rd Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament was held at the Shivaji Stadium in Delhi, from November 15-25, 2016.

Two teams qualified from the knockout stage - Bharatiya Vayu Sena (Air Force) and Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG). They joined six other teams that qualified directly for the quarter-final league.

The following was the pool-wise distribution of teams for the quarter-final league:

• Pool A: Bharatiya Vishvavidyalaya Sangh (AIU), Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG), Punjab & Sindh Bank, Sthal Sena
• Pool B: Air India, Bharatiya Vayu Sena (Air Force), Punjab National Bank, Bharatiya Rail

Bharatiya Rail won the 53rd Nehru Hockey Tournament, with the following match results:

Stage	Date	Bharatiya Rail	Date	Punjab National Bank
Pool	Nov 19	beat Bharatiya Vayu Sena 3-2	Nov 19	beat Air India 5-4
	Nov 21	beat Air India 5-1	Nov 21	beat Bharatiya Vayu Sena 2-0
	Nov 23	drew with Punjab National Bank 3-3	Nov 23	drew with Bharatiya Rail 3-3
Semis	Nov 24	beat Sthal Sena 4-1	Nov 24	beat Punjab & Sindh Bank 2-1
Final	Nov 25	beat Punjab National Bank 4-2

The winning men's team bagged 2.5 lakh. The final was telecast live on Doordarshan Sports.

he 51st Union Bank of India-IDBI Bank Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Tournament, organised by the Mumbai Hockey Association, was held at the Mahindra Stadium from November 28 to December 7, 2016.

12 teams from all over India were distributed among 4 pools as follows:

• Pool A: Punjab & Sindh Bank (Delhi), Karnataka, Dakshin Madhya Rail (SCR, Secunderabad)
• Pool B: Indian Oil (Bengaluru), Sthal Sena (Delhi), Madhya Rail (Central Railway, Mumbai)
• Pool C: Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG, Delhi), Punjab National Bank (Delhi), Delhi XI
• Pool D: Bharatiya Nau Sena (Navy, Mumbai), Paschim Rail (Western Railway, Mumbai), Bombay Republicans

Dakshin Madhya Rail won the 51st Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Tournament for the first time ever, with the following match results:

Stage	Date	Dakshin Madhya Rail	Date	Punjab National Bank
Pool	Nov 29	lost to Karnataka 1-2	Nov 29	beat Delhi 2-1
	Nov 30	beat Punjab & Sindh Bank 4-0	Dec 1	beat Comptroller & Auditor General 4-3
Quarters	Dec 4	beat Madhya Rail 6-3	Dec 3	beat Paschim Railway 5-3
Semis	Dec 6	beat Comptroller & Auditor General 6-1	Dec 6	beat Indian Oil 3-1
Final	Dec 7	beat Punjab National Bank 4-2

The winning team received around 3 lakh, along with the glittering Bombay Gold Cup trophy.

Photograph courtesy Surjit Hockey Society

he Photograph of the Month for December 2016 is from the 2016 edition of the Surjeet Hockey Tournament in Jalandhar. It is taken from the match between Indian Oil and Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, and shows Indian Oil's Deepak Thakur's sliding shot at goal.

he Hockey India League (HIL) closed bids for the 2017 season took place on 16th November, 2016. Each team had a cap or upper limit of $7,25,000 (4.9 crore).

Having retained their squad for a significantly lesser amount, Ranchi Rays and Jaypee Punjab Warriors had a larger purse available for the bidding process.

Gurbaj Singh was bought by the 2015 champions Ranchi Rays for a whopping $99,000 (67.2 lakh).

Among the foreign players, German forward Christopher Ruhr got the hightest bid and was bought by Ranchi Rays for $75,000 (50 lakh).

18-year-old defender Hardeek Singh was picked by Jaypee Punjab Warriors for $39,000 (26.5 lakh).

Other notable bids were for Tom Craig (Kalinga Lancers), Robert van der Horst (Jaypee Punjab Warriors) and Seve Van Ass (Uttar Pradesh Wizards).

The 2016 edition of the HIL saw the highest purse in hockey, with over 5.8 crore in the pool.

The 2017 edition of the Coal India Hockey India League (HIL) will take place between 21st January to 26th February, 2017, and will be broadcast live on Star Sports and live streamed on Hotstar.com

The 2018 edition of the HIL will have seven teams, with JSW Sports (part of the Jindal Group) the latest to buy a franchise.

he weekly Hockey Paper was launched in England on November 16, 2016. The 32-page publication is priced at £1.50, and is available at newsagents and supermarkets in both England and Wales.

This is the first dedicated newspaper to hockey in Great Britain. It will cover men's and women's Premier Divisions, with extensive round-ups of the six conferences.

They will also report on hockey action throughout Europe and the wider world, along with interviews with star players, and special features on grassroots, universities and schools.

The Hockey Paper is published by Greenways Publishing, who also produce The Golf Paper, The Rugby Paper, The Football League Paper and others.

The paper is not officially affiliated to either England Hockey or Great Britain Hockey.

Editor-in-chief David Emery said: "This is a thrilling time for hockey fans in the United Kingdom after the success in the Rio Olympics. We believe that The Hockey Paper can tap into that interest and reflect the ever-growing status of the game."

You can subscribe online at: http://www.thehockeypaper.co.uk/subscriptions/pay-online/.

Shiv Jagday, founder of Shiv's Coaching Academy

he December 2016 Visitor of the Month is Shiv Jagday. Shiv sent the following email to BharatiyaHockey.org:

Shiv's Coaching Academy has newly launched a quarterly coaching e-newsletter. Your feedback, criticism and suggestions will be deeply appreciated.

This coaching newsletter is designed to address the needs of the young and upcoming hockey players, who are passing through Stages 3, 4 and 5 of the Long Term Athlete Development Model (LTAD), namely Learn To Train, Train To Train and Train To Compete.

Statistics by B. G. Joshi

he December 2016 edition of Fun with Numbers is on the Junior Men's World Cup Hockey. 10 editions of the tournament have taken place so far, with the 11th Jr. Men's World Cup scheduled to take place in Lucknow from December 8 - 18, 2016.

The list of medal winners in the Jr. Men's World Cup Hockey is given below:

• Germany has won 6 Jr. Men's World Cup medals. No other country has won more than 1 gold medal
• The Jr. Men's World Cup has been held in 8 different countries; the host country has never won the tournament
• The continents of Africa and North America have never won any medal in the Jr. Men's World Cup

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Germany	6 (1983, 85, 89, 93, 2009, 13)	1 (1979)	2 (1997, 2001)
Australia	1 (1997)	3 (1983, 89, 2005)	2 (1993, 2009)
Pakistan	1 (1979)	1 (1993)	3 (1983, 85, 89)
Argentina	1 (2005)	1 (2001)	-
India	1 (2001)	1 (1997)	-
Netherlands	-	2 (1985, 2009)	2 (1979, 2013)
France	-	1 (2013)	-
Spain	-	-	1 (2005)