India is among the contenders to host the 2010 men's hockey World Cup, International Hockey Federation president Els van Breda Vriesman said on Wednesday.
"During my visit to New Delhi earlier this month, I had fruitful discussions with K P S Gill (IHF president) and K Jothikumaran (secretary-general). They showed interest in hosting the next World Cup in India and we at the FIH too are interested," she said.
She did not name the other contenders, but said, "I think India has a good chance of hosting the 2010 World Cup, but it will be decided only at the FIH Congress in November. Until then, I cannot say anything for certain on this subject."
Vriesman said some of the criteria for allotting a World Cup include infrastructure, sponsorship and popularity of the game.
When contacted, Jothikumaran, who is in Monchengladbach for the World Cup, confirmed that the IHF is keen on hosting the 2010 event.
He said, "We had a meeting with Vriesman when she was in Delhi and we expressed our interest to host the next World Cup in 2010. I feel we have the requisite infrastructure and sponsorship support.
"Also, the Premier Hockey League in Chandigarh earlier this year attracted crowds of about 30,000. So I am sure the World Cup matches will be well-attended," he said.
If India wins the bid in November, it would be the second time the country would be hosting the World Cup. India last held the tournament in 1981-82 in Mumbai, and it was the last international competition to be played on grass.
Jothikumaran said the venue in India for the World Cup would be decided at a later date and was of course subject to the FIH allotting the event to India.
Incidentally, India are to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.