Ningombam now becomes the first president from the North east region to spearhead the sport's governing body. He formerly held the position of officiating president after Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad had tendered his resignation in July this year.

"Both Gyanendro and Mushtaque have several years of experience in hockey administration and I am confident their expertise will benefit the sport. Their advice will be instrumental in developing the sport further in the country and their leadership will help us work towards achieving our goals," stated Hockey India Secretary General Rajinder Singh.

Ningombam, who has been elected for a term of two years, has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Manipur Hockey between 2009 and 2014 and has been associated with Manipur Hockey for over a decade. He has been actively involved in developing hockey at the grassroots in the North east region.

Ahmad, on the other hand, is a veteran in sports administration with decades of experience. Under his leadership, Hockey India went on to host several major international tournaments including the FIH Men's World Cup in 2018. He has been involved with Hockey India in different capacities in the past and most recently held the post of president till July this year.

Meanwhile, the 10th Hockey India Congress held on Friday -- where Gyanendro and Mushtaque officially took charge of their duties -- also witnessed the members having a fruitful discussion on the roadmap towards resumption of the domestic calendar and the way forward for the sport in India keeping in mind the safety precautions due to the ongoing battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We had a very fruitful meeting today with representatives from all state member units, there were various key discussion points; resuming the domestic calendar and the need for support of all state member units in terms of following all the government guidelines to hold another successful Annual National Championship in 2021 especially with the Covid - 19 situation still prevalent in the country," said Singh "Planning for the upcoming year 2021 was another key discussion point, where the status of competitions for all four national teams were discussed and the need for more international exposure for both the senior & junior teams which will be key in the preparations leading up to the Olympics and Junior World Cups respectively. Our aim is to ensure we leave no stone unturned in the teams' preparations for the Olympics and Junior World Cups," he added.