FIH appoints two Indian officials for London Olympics

RV Raghu Prasad and Claudius De Sales have been appointed as an umpire and judge respectively for the 2012 London Olympics hockey event.

Hockey India, on Wednesday, welcomed the appointment of the two after receiving an official confirmation from the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

33-year-old Bangalorean, Raghu, has booked his berth as one of the 17 elite umpires.

Raghu, who has been rising steadily ever since he started officiating in international hockey events in 2003, was one of the two umpires short-listed from India.

Having officiated in two men's Champions Trophies (2005, 2009) and two Junior World Cups (2005, 2009), he saw the first phase of his dream come true when he made his first appearance in the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi. And Asian Games call-up in Guangzhou also came in the same year.

47-year-old Claudius is from Mumbai and has been officiating in FIH tournaments for the past six years.

Claudius has been appointed by FIH in some big events in the recent past, including as a judge in the 2010 FIH World Cup held in New Delhi.