https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Age is Just a Number for these 50+ Women Hockey Players

Women are participating for the first time in the 57-year history of All India Civil Services Tournament. The oldest and youngest players are 61 and 49 years of age.
Indian Masterminds Stories

With the All India Civil Services Hockey Tournament 2021 set to start from September 23 in Kurukshetra, Haryana, the women’s hockey team from Madhya Pradesh is gearing up for strong performances to win the trophy. The tournament started in 1964 and is held every year, but for the first time in its 57 year history, women are taking part in it.

HOW’S THE JOSH?

The 17 members of the MP team fall in the age bracket of 49 -61. They were selected after a trial round at Bhopal’s Aishbagh Stadium on September 14. In conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Sameer Dad, the head coach of the state men’s hockey team, said, “In my entire career, I had not seen middle-aged players performing so enthusiastically on the field. They were all super excited and gave their best. The ‘josh’ was so high among them!”

In between a match

A PROGRESSIVE DECISION

It was after the Indian women’s hockey team’s splendid performance in the Tokyo Olympics that a combined committee of Center and state representatives took the decision to allow women teams to participate in the civil services tournament.

BACK TO ACTION

It’s like a new beginning for all of them. After all, they are going to represent their home state in a professional tournament! “Our team used to be the best hockey team in Bhopal,” reminisced the 59-year-old team captain of the team, Preeti Naidu. In an interaction with Indian Masterminds, she informed that all team members are from sports backgrounds and had been selected for their respective jobs on the sports quota. Few amongst them had attended national hockey camps in the past. “It’s a great feeling to hold a hockey stick once again and represent our state at a national level tournament. We are all well prepared and will surely clinch a medal for our state,” she added.

55-year-old Bilquis Jahan said that they were “inspired by the fabulous performance of the women’s hockey team in the Olympics, which made them believe that they, too, can script history.”

The hockey team on the field

WINNERS ALREADY!

The entire team attended a 7-days training camp in Bhopal organized by the state government before leaving for Kurukshetra for this tournament. Forty teams are competing in the men category while 9 teams are in the women category. The participants are from both central and state civil services. The MP woman is led by captain Preeti Naidu and the senior-most member is Lucy Alfonso who is 61 years old, and the youngest is Renuka Nigam, who is 49 years old.

Age is surely just a number for these fit-after-fifty women who are all geared up to give their vigorous best on the field and win. Whether they clinch medals or not, they are all winners, already. Fitness role models for all!


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
BPCL_resized
BPCL’s Sanjay Khanna Conferred with “TITAN - Refining Innovation Award” for Pioneering Excellence in HSE and Refining
Vartika Shukla CMD of EIL (1)
Vartika Shukla, CMD of EIL, Honored with Women’s Leadership Award at IOGTC 2025 - Know About Her
Judiciary_india
Karnataka Bar Council Urges Supreme Court Collegium to Reconsider Transfer of Four High Court Judges
NTPC Green Energy Ltd NGEL
NTPC Green Board to Consider Rs 5,000 Crore Bond Issue in FY26
Govt
5 Officers Reshuffled in Uttarakhand Secretariat
Indian Oil IOCL
Indian Oil to Invest Rs. 24,000 Crore in Gujarat for Refinery Expansion and Petrochemical Projects
IFS Indian Forest Service resized (IFoS)
14 IFS and 6 State Forest Service Officers Transferred in Madhya Pradesh, HU Khan Made CF&CEO (CAMPA) at HQ, Bhopal
Concor and gail MoU
CONCOR and GAIL Sign MoU to Promote Clean Fuel and Green Logistics
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Aditya Vikram Agarwal
The Shouts of Joy Were Real: Aditya’s UPSC Rank 9 Was a Family Celebration
Dr Lokesh M IAS
E-Rickshaw Chaos, Waterlogging, Traffic Mess — Can Noida Fix Its Daily Chaos? | Exclusive with Dr Lokesh M, IAS
IRS Padmapani Bora UPSC
IRS Padmapani Bora’s 16-Year-Long Journey in Governance
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Aditya Vikram Agarwal
The Shouts of Joy Were Real: Aditya’s UPSC Rank 9 Was a Family Celebration
“UPSC is not the only path. If you are in any field… UPSC is not the only way to serve the nation. Be...
Raj Krishna Jha UPSC
Managing Study with a Full-Time Job, 4 Failures, & a Dream: UPSC Topper Raj Krishna Jha's Journey | Exclusive
From repeated failures to AIR 8, Raj Krishna Jha’s UPSC success proves that perseverance and strategic...
Utkarsh Yadav UPSC Rajasthan
Brother of Dausa DM Cracks UPSC with AIR 32: Utkarsh Yadav’s Inspiring Journey from Hamindpur to IAS
Utkarsh Yadav, an IIT Roorkee graduate from rural Rajasthan, secured AIR 32 in UPSC 2024 after three...
Social Media
GozJlgrXYAAHoKv
Murals for Cleanliness: Thoothukudi District Launches Art-Inspired Sanitation Drive in Panchayats
Local artists add colour and messages to village walls, promoting hygiene and community pride
Himanshu Nagpal IAS
Varanasi's Beggar Rehabilitation Initiative Recognised by UIDAI, CDO Himanshu Nagpal Shares the News
Mr. Himanshu Nagpal is a 2019-batch IAS officer
IAS Vaishali Chopra
Young IAS Vaishali Chopra Takes a Stand Against Caste Bias During Field Training in Uttar Pradesh
While the issue itself may seem small, the post is resonating widely online for its honest reflection...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
BPCL_resized
BPCL’s Sanjay Khanna Conferred with “TITAN - Refining Innovation Award” for Pioneering Excellence in HSE and Refining
Vartika Shukla CMD of EIL (1)
Vartika Shukla, CMD of EIL, Honored with Women’s Leadership Award at IOGTC 2025 - Know About Her
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Aditya Vikram Agarwal
Dr Lokesh M IAS
IRS Padmapani Bora UPSC
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT