‘Awards, huh, what are they good for? Absolutely nothing…” Edwin Starr might have sung in his 1970 classic. Belgium and the Netherlands might well be thinking the same when they meet in upcoming Pro League matches after the FIH Hockey Stars Awards produced a farcical, virtual clean sweep for India players and coaches.
‘Failure of the voting system’ decreed Hockey Belgium on Wednesday as India nominees won all eight categories on offer, thanks to success stories at Tokyo 2020 – and the 300,000 fan votes which made up the weighting system in the annual awards. The only thing missing here were two team of the year awards to make it a perfect 10.
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Proposal:
(i) National Hockey Associations = 30% weightage
(ii) International players nominating other players = 30% weightage (can’t vote for your country’s player)
(iii) Media votes = 30% weightage
(iv) Finally, Fan votes = 10% weightage – Fans are engaged, however they can’t be the deciding factor for the final results
If India, Indian coaches and Indian players, perform exceptionally in 2021-2022 season, they will be nominated and will win all the awards again.
India did well but this is a complete farce – all the voting pots heavily weighted to asia
How was it weighed towards Asia? 75% of the voting was non-fan based. Typical European whingers.
Ridiculous outcome; Indian teams did well at the Olympics, but Dutch women and Belgian men have been standout teams over the past year.
Fan engagement is fine, but votes from members, captains and coaches need to be first priority. This is an absolute joke. This voting system not only insults the performances of so many great players from other countries but also mocks India’s performances as well.
Its not a joke. Its real and one needs to accept it. India rose from 8th in Rio to bronze medal in Tokyo and likewise the women’s team jumped from 12th to 4th losing bronze by a whisker. Their rise has been nothing short of phenomenal. They are deserving winners and mind you fan votes carry less than 10% weightage. So stop cribbing about the voting system.
It is funny that after many years one of the great hockey player turned coach has got a very young side to do well in the last 3 to 4 years,.
A team starting from Zero played against big and high ranking teams, giving them a hard time and being outplayed by Australian Hockey Team and still managed to win a medal after 40 years..
Of course they deserve this ranking and these awards , thanks to the transformation made by the great Coach and his team.
So if alot of people do not like this , too bad, because they can not insult this coach and his team for what they have turned a weak team to one to be feared for in such a short time.
Hats off to Indian Hockey Teams Head Coach and his team.
Well done SIR.
I am saying this not because I am an Indian, but a Hockey player who knows what it is to be in a weak Team and play against bid and great Teams and when you beat them, how it feels thanks to your coaching staff.
Would have been a perfect system if a European, include Australia & New Zealand, had made a clean sweep. Racism at its finest.
I have been taking a look at the points margins enjoyed by the above winners and find them hard to believe. If the margins had been tighter perhaps those of us who are, would not be “smelling a rat?” Or at least not so much of one……So called elections in tyrannical Governments spring to mind. Just saying…..