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New Delhi : In what turned out to be an embarrassing situation for the organisers and International Hockey Federation (FIH) just four days before the start of the World Cup, media on February 24 walked out of a promotional event protesting over the restrictions imposed on them for the coverage for the tournament.
During the announcement of a 'major partner' of the World Cup --Karbonn Mobiles, agitated journalists protested loudly and vehemently, not allowing FIH spokesman Arjen Meijer to speak and later walked out of the event.
The media has been sore on several issues, including the ban on coverage of national team's practice sessions at the Dhyan Chand Stadium, no access to team hotels and the stringent verification process for the accreditations. Tournament director Ken Read in a statement said that the accreditations are "expected" to be ready only on Feb 27, a day before the start of the tournament and til then there would be no media access for team's practice sessions.
"We are not allowed to cover the practice session of the Indian team and we are also not allowed to enter the team hotels. How can media function under such circumstances?" the journalists asked. Stunned by the media walk-out, Meijer later apologised to the media and requested them to hear him out. He tried to convince them to return by assuring them that their concerns will be looked at. Pradeep Jain of Karbonn Mobiles said it is very embarrassing for the sponsors.
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