New Delhi: Hockey India on Thursday issued a clarification over the criticism surrounding the team’s new saffron-coloured kit for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, saying saffron was ultimately chosen for both functional reasons and its “deep significance with one of the colours of Indian national flag” and added that the traditional blue jersey reduced on-field visibility against modern blue synthetic hockey turfs.
Hockey India on Monday unveiled the new saffron jersey instead of their traditional blue kits for next month’s FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium, which triggered widespread debate, with ex-captain Viren Rasquinha publicly questioning the logic behind moving away from the team’s iconic blue colours.
Moreover, Congress MP Priyanka and 1983 World Cup winner and All India Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad also criticised the change in the hockey team’s jersey from blue to saffron.
However, Hockey India said the change originated from within the national setup following discussions with those directly involved in the team’s preparations.
“We wish to inform you that the decision to change the uniform colour was based on support staff & players recommendations and detailed consultations with them. The primary consideration was technical. It was observed that the blue playing uniform tended to blend/merge with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour of international hockey pitches. This visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for the players,” the statement read. IANS
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