Odisha’s Lazarus Barla Appointed Coach of National Senior Hockey Coaching Camp

Bhubaneswar: For the first time, Hockey India has appointed international hockey star and Olympian, Lazarus Barla of Odisha as coach for the National Senior Hockey coaching camp, which is underway at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

While selected players from this camp inducted in the national team are currently participating in the 5^th Asian Champions Trophy Hockey at Muscat in Oman, the remaining players at the camp will be coached by Barla. The camp, which began on September 16, will conclude on October 31.

Prior to this new assignment, Barla was the coach of the National Junior team before the Junior World Cup.

Barla was adjudged the best defender in the world during the Sydney Olympics in 2000 where he had put up a sterling performance with his contemporary, teammate Dilip Tirkey. He had played a significant role in the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998 and Champions Trophy Hockey in 2001 enabling India to win a gold medal in both the events. He had also played a prominent role in the Milton Keynes Junior Men’s World Cup Hockey in England 1997 in which India had won the silver. Besides, he was also a member of the national team that won the silver in the Asia Cup Hockey in 2000.

Barla had also represented India in the World Cup Hockey Championship in 1998 and 2002.