India men’s hockey captain and star goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has joined the FIH Athletes’ Committee with immediate effect following the vacancy left by former Chair Michael Green from Germany whose term came to an end in November.
Speaking about this news, Sreejesh said: “It's a great honour and recognition for me to represent the world’s hockey players on the FIH Athletes’ Committee. The reason I offered to take on the role was to be a transparent messenger between the players and FIH.”
The appointment was welcomed by other members of the Athletes’ Committee as, during the course of his hockey career, Sreejesh has proven himself a passionate and eloquent ambassador for the game.
As a player, Sreejesh has been part of the revival of Indian hockey in the past few years, winning gold in the 2014 Asian Games, bronze at the 2015 Hockey World League finals and silver in the 2016 Champions Trophy. He was also involved in a managerial capacity with the junior Indian team at the recent Junior World Cup, where India took the gold medal.
As a representative of India and the Asian continent, it is hoped that Sreejesh will help to enhance the reach of the FIH Athletes' Committee to teams across Asia, while as a current player, he will be able to reflect the views and opinions of those playing the game.
One of the key priorities for the FIH Athletes' Committee is to update the players on FIH strategy and encourage current athletes to become ambassadors for the sport in their own nations and continents. These are ambitions that Sreejesh says he is keen to help fulfil.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to help develop the sport with the athletes interest at its heart,” says the 28-year-old. “With many significant changes taking place over the next couple of years, including the implementation of the new event portfolio, I am looking forward to working with my fellow Committee members during what will be an incredibly exciting time for hockey.”
The space became available on the Athletes' Committee as Michael Green’s term in office came to an end. The terms of reference for the Committee state the need for eight members in total, with an equal gender balance. With four women athletes currently in office, the recruitment of a male athlete was a priority.
The post is an interim one as the next Athletes' Committee elections will not take place until 2018. The inaugural elections held in 2014 were for a four year term.
Sreejesh’s appointment was proposed by the FIH Athletes’ Committee and ratified by the FIH Executive Board.
A statement from FIH Athletes' Committee Co-Chairs Marsha Cox (South Africa) and Annie Panter (Great Britain), said: “PR Sreejesh was the stand-out candidate to achieve these objectives [to achieve a gender balance and to enhance the reach of the Athletes' Committee to athletes within Asia] and came highly recommended by several people, including those who have competed with and against him in the Hockey India League (HIL) and internationally.”
The work of the FIH Athletes' Committee is vital in developing the game and making it more professional – a key goal of the FIH Hockey Revolution.
Hockey players can contact the FIH Athletes' Committee by emailing athletes@fih.ch.
