Hockey team in a stinker

The Chak De factor, it seems, has had no effect on the women's hockey establishment. For the girls hockey team — which enjoyed an 11-day dream tour of Australia, where they won seven out of eight matches and got to stay in a decent hotels/apartments — coming back home has been a nightmarish experience. They have been lodged in hellish surroundings, their match fees and stipends long suspended. Some for them, it seems, are now at breaking point.

The girls have been lodged in an abysmal dormitory at the Karnail Singh Stadium, with hockey officials saying no other facility was available when the team landed late on Sunday night.

"We are not asking for luxury. But this place isn't even hygienic. The blankets are old and it was tough for us last night due to the severity of the cold. The bed sheets are muddy so some of us went and bought some bed-sheets from the market. There are fourteen of us stuffed into one room, where even the toilet is too dirty to be used," a key member of the squad said. Another player added: "Just go and have a look where they are cooking for us. One wouldn't feel like eating after looking at the place. We are not asking for five-star hotels. Give us clean, decent rooms. And if you say that hotels are costly then why not put us up in a hostel? There are so many good hostels in the city. This has been happening for quite some time. There is a limit to what one can endure."


http://sports.indiatimes.com/Sections/Hockey/Hockey_team_in_a_stinker/articleshow/2719312.cms