Batra will continue his presidency till 2024.
Follow Us
Narinder Batra retained the presidency of International Hockey Federation (FIH). He won the election 63-61 against Marc Coudron of Belgium. Batra is the first non-European president of the FIH. He was elected in 2016 by an overwhelming margin during the world body’s 45th Congress.
“Indian Olympic Association chief Narinder Batra re-elected as International Hockey Federation President for a second term,” PTI tweeted.
He contested the Royal Belgian Hockey Association (KBHB) President Coudron. He played a huge role in Belgium’s rise in hockey on the global stage. The latter was Belgium’s most-capped international hockey player with 358 appearances.
Batra will continue his presidency till 2024. Batra’s second term has been cut short in the wake of the pandemic. His first term was extended after the FIH delayed the Congress.
The FIH Congress was held virtually due to travel restrictions imposed in the wake of the ongoing pandemic.
Batra, in his manifesto mentioned 11 key target areas he wants to work on, after his re-election. Increasing the visibility of the sport, enhancing financial sustainability were few on the key points in his manifesto.
“I believe that it’s very important for us to develop media [digital and broadcast] rights as a strong source of revenue. This added to sponsor revenues are capable of leading us to the path of healthy sustainable financial stability,” he wrote in his manifesto.
“I hereby commit to engage all necessary efforts to fight the challenges coming our way and seize every opportunity to grow hockey, both in terms of participants and fans, as this is so crucial to generate the resources we need to make our sport flourish,” Batra was quoted as saying by insidethegames.biz
Besides Batra, Mr. Erik Cornelissen and Mr. Tayyab Ikram elected unopposed to the FIH Executive Board (Men members).
Meanwhile, Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy were re-elected to the FIH Executive Board (Women members).
