New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Friday felicitated newly-elected International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Narinder Batra here.

IOA president N. Ramachandran said: "I would like to congratulate Batra for winning FIH elections with a huge margin and making everyone proud. I am sure under his guidance the sport of hockey will grow more globally. I would also like to thank the IOA family for this felicitation ceremony."

Batra, who is also associate vice president of the IOA, was previously Hockey India (HI) president.

Acknowledging the felicitations, he said: "I would like to thank IOA for this honour and I can assure you that I will do my best to make our country and you all feel proud."

Congratulating Batra, IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta said: "I would like to congratulate Narinder Batra who has been recently elected as the president of the FIH. I have seen him work tirelessly towards improving the sport of hockey in India. 

"In the past few years we have seen a significant change in the game of hockey the Indian hockey team is provided with better amenities and opportunities. Batra has played a significant role in changing the scenario of the sport."