GOWRI MANICKAVASAGAM
Sports and socialising go hand in hand so how is it faring during this time of social distancing? Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) takes you behind-the-scenes on Twitter with live Q&A and a rare peep into the day of players amid COVID-19.
As the world combats the COVID-19 pandemic, all the major sporting events in India and across the globe have either been postponed or cancelled, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which the Indian hockey fans had been eagerly awaiting. While there is no live on-field action, Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) took to Twitter to engage with fans of the game and bring the players from both the men’s and women’s national teams to answer questions from passionate followers of the sport. This unique, open, and real-time action harnessed the positive power of Twitter in the form of real-time engagement.
During the lockdown, @TheHockeyIndia conducted a special Twitter Q&A, #AskTeamIndia, and went live on the service with four players – India women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal (@imranirampal), India men’s hockey captain Manpreet Singh (@manpreetpawar07), India men’s hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh (@16Sreejesh) and defender Harmanpreet Singh (@13harmanpreet) – all of whom interacted keenly with their fans.
In addition to this candid chat, @TheHockeyIndia also kept fans updated with behind-the-scenes pictures to share how players are spending time indoors.
The India women’s hockey team also completed a fitness challenge, as a part of which, they Tweeted fitness videos to raise funds to help those whose lives have been adversely impacted by Coronavirus.
Stay tuned as real-time conversations around the Indian Hockey Teams continues to unfold on Twitter.
