Sports minister Ajay Maken summons rival hockey groups to end row

Sports minister Ajay Maken has summoned rival hockey factions to a meeting on Saturday in a bid to end a long-running row in the sport which brought the country eight Olympic gold medals.

"I believe there are good people on both sides. I have asked them to meet me on Saturday and agree to a proposal to have a body with equal representation from both sides," Maken told reporters on Thursday.

Maken said he had summoned officials from Hockey India (HI) and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), adding: "We are keen to revive hockey. We have not done well in the recent past and I think HI and IHF should work together.

"If the issue still persists, we have something else in mind but I can''t reveal it at this stage."

The IHF, which forfeited the International Hockey Federation's recognition in 2008 and has since been replaced by HI, was revived by a court order last year.

India's men won six Olympic golds in a row from 1928 but have not won the title since 1980.

Maken promised money would not be an issue in recruiting a coach from abroad for the men''s national team once the dispute had been settled.

The coach would be one of 28 foreign coaches the Sports Ministry planned to employ in various sports for India's London Olympic preparations, for which $58 million had been earmarked, he said.