Sandeep Singh's hat-trick couldn't save India as they blew a 2-0 lead and let the Kiwis come back into the match to win 3-4 in the first match of the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here today.

Sloppy defence let India down as they suffered their second consecutive defeat in Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament going down 1-5 to Argentina in Ipoh on Friday.

In the Olympic tournament’s opening encounter, the fifth-ranked Japanese women defeated 8th-ranked New Zealand for the start of their campaign, protecting their 2-1 halftime lead from two early goals against a Blacksticks team that played well in patches but could not score today, despite a final balance of 10 shots on goal compared to Japan’s only six.

Former hockey boss KPS Gill says the people who run the Olympic body have no idea about the game

The International Hockey Federation, the game's world governing body, today formally awarded the hosting rights of 2010 men's World Cup to India.

KPS Gill, the sacked President of the disbanded Indian Hockey Federation, will represent India in the Asian Hockey Confederation's executive committee meeting here on Thursday.