Hockey India has been the talk of the town after it announced the colour change of hockey’s menโs and womenโs teams from blue to orange. On July 27, Hockey India took to social media and announced that both the menโs and womenโs teams will be wearing the new orange jersey at the upcoming FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.ย
However, the move away from the traditional blue sparked widespread outrage on social media. Former skipper Viren Rasquinha also questioned the move on X (formerly known as Twitter). The jersey row intensified after the comments were made by Viren Rasquinha on his social media account, where he talked about wearing the blue jersey with pride throughout his career and how that best represents the Indian national team as well.ย
Responding to the criticism and the outrage, Hockey India took centre stage and talked about the logic behind the jersey change. Stating that the previous blue kits used to visually merge with the blue playing field that is used in most hockey matches.ย
“We wish to inform you that the decision to change the uniform colour was based on recommendations from, and detailed consultations with, the support staff and players. The primary consideration was technical. It was observed that the blue playing uniform tended to blend with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour for international hockey pitches. This visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for the players,” Hockey India said in a statement.
Hockey India claimed that suggestions were brought forth for the jersey colour
As part of their statement, Hockey India also stated that suggestions were asked for the new colour of the Indian jersey, but they ultimately decided to go with the orange colour, as it is featured on the Indian flag as well.ย
“In light of the above, the coaches and players suggested alternative colours, such as yellow or saffron. After careful consideration, saffron was finalised. Apart from addressing the technical requirement, saffron holds deep significance as one of the colours of our National Flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice, and national pride,โ the statement added.ย
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