India, formerly a hockey superpower with eight Olympic gold medals to their name, hosted the
event but was eliminated after it lost to New Zealand in a play-off for a quarter-final spot.
Graham Reid resigned as head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team a day after the 2023
FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup was completed. With less than a year until the Paris Olympics in
2024, the Indian Hockey Board must now identify a competent replacement for Reid.
On Monday morning, Analytical Coach Greg Clark and Scientific Consultant Mitchell David
Pemberton both also gave their resignation letter. Over the following month, all three will serve
their notice periods.
Reid and his support crew were a part of the Indian Team’s historic Bronze Medal
accomplishment at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Silver Commonwealth Games medal in
2022, and in the FIH Hockey Pro League season in 2021/22 secured third place.
Reid’s impressive tenure as Chief Coach with the team includes the FIH Series Final
championship triumph in 2019. Following that, the team made no effort to qualify for the Olympic
Games Tokyo 2020 when they won the Qualifiers in Bhubaneswar in 2019.
Reid, a former Australia player, led India to a successful Olympic campaign in Tokyo when they
earned a medal after 41 years. He was also in charge of India’s third-place performance in the
Pro League the previous season, as well as their silver medal in the Commonwealth Games
2022.
With the Asian Games serving as a qualification event for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the year
2023 is critical for India.
If India fails to win gold in the Asiad, they will have to compete in a difficult qualification
competition later this year or early in 2024 to compete in Paris.
Many international and indigenous coaches have considered Indian hockey to be challenging
terrain to negotiate in the past. The team’s performances are frequently affected by
inconsistency, although expectations are constantly high.
