Glamour plays a vital role in the popularity of any sport, especially in this age of media invasion. Hockey, for a long time, remained a glamour-less sport. This was quite surprising since the sport presents everything a spectator wants to see. Hockey is fast, artistic, demands variety of skills from players, shows breath-taking moves, formations, strategies, has set pieces -- all this on a smooth surface in a short period of time. Then the sport has always been on the move to make it more and more presentable.  There were objections such as frequent stoppages and complicated rules. Abolishing the off-side rule, introduction of self-pass and softening of obstruction and turning rules have made the game even more attractive.

The ruling body itself was the guilty party. It wasn’t long ago that the FIH took pride in hockey being a strictly amateur sport. Hockey gradually shed its amateur image as clubs of many national leagues began paying star players to retain them. It was followed by the hiring of overseas players. Still, the players’ earnings were pretty small as compared to those offered in other sports. What to talk of soccer, basketball, cricket, etc. even rugby, volleyball and handball players made far more money.

The monetary revolution in hockey arrived through Hockey India League.

In the very first season, in 2013, players were auctioned for up to $87,000. Within a couple of seasons, it crossed $100,000.

And it was appropriately India where another watershed event in hockey was held recently. The Laureus World Sports Awards draws viewers in hundreds of millions from all over the world. The annual award ceremony honouring outstanding sportspeople selected from all the disciplines has been held with a lot of fanfare and pomp since 2000.

Though, the FIH Awards were instituted in 1998, the presentation ceremony used to be a little formality, lasting around five minutes on most of the occasions: During the half time of the final or semi-finals of the World Cup, Champions Trophy or European

Championships.

After almost two decades, it all changed -- on the 23rd February.

This time, it was a glitzy ceremony at the packed crystal ballroom of the 5 Star Lalit Hotel in Chandigarh, the capital of Indian Punjab.

The ceremony mixed with Bollywood glamour was televised live by India’s doordarshan channel and was also live streamed through the YouTube channel.

There were awards in five categories: Umpire, Coach, Rising star, Goalkeeper and Player of the Year -- both male and female.

Before the announcement of the winners for these awards, the winners of another kind of award were called on the stage. FIH had been running a competition through its social media channels for two lucky fans to attend the awards in India.

The names along with the photos of all the nominees for each category were flashed on the screen before a distinguished hockey personality announced the name of the winner.

The winners made interesting acceptance speeches. A few awardees, who couldn’t make it to Chandigarh, participated through recorded video messages.

Most of the male recipients were already in India playing in the Hockey India League.

Those presenting the awards were prominent FIH officials, including the present German star Moritz Furste (member of FIH athletes’ committee), Hockey India president Ms Mariamma Koshy. The most widely welcomed on the stage was 92-year-old Balbir Singh, India’s triple

Olympic hockey gold medallist.

The last awards were of course for the Female and Male Player of the Year given away by FIH president Narinder Batra.

Maddy Hinch of Great Britain, goalkeeper of the year, surprised many as she wore a traditional Indian saree.

When asked who had suggested her to dress in a saree, she said: "It was my mother and a couple of girls in the FIH. I have really enjoyed wearing a saree, which I purchased from Chandigarh yesterday."

Perhaps the person best qualified to comment on this epoch-making event was David Harte who won the goalkeeper award for the second year running. The Irish star said: "The ceremony in Chandigarh was quite the spectacle with local Punjabi dancers. There was entertainment from

India’s Got Talent finalists along with the worldwide broadcasting of the event.

"Comparing it to last year, having the award presented to me after a Hockey India League match, still wearing my goalkeeping kit and dripping sweat in Mumbai, it was quite different!"

WINNERS: FIH Awards 2016

Player of the Year: Women: Naomi van As (Netherlands), Men: John-John Dohmen (Belgium)

Goalkeeper of the Year: Women: Maddie Hinch (Great Britain), Men: David Harte (Ireland)

Rising Star of the Year: Women: Maria Granatto (Argentina), Men: Arthur van Doren (Belgium)

Coach of the Year: Women: Karen Brown (Great Britain), Men: Danny Kerry (Great Britain)

Umpire of the Year: Women: Laurine Delforge (Belgium), Men: Christian Blasch (Germany).