Former Olympians have hit out at IOA for forming Hockey India, a unified body embracing the men's and women's unit.

Seething with indignation, Olympians Joaquim Carvalho, Gurbux Singh and Gavin Fereira said the step by the Indian Olympic Association was of an "undemocratic manner".

Gurbux, a member of the bronze medal winning 1968 Mexico Olympics squad, termed it "a joke perpetrated on Indian hockey" and called on Sports Minister M S Gill to interfere.

Former national coach Carvalho, member of the Indian squad that took part in the 1984 Los Angeles Games and an Arjuna Awardee to boot, was scathing in his attack.

"I ask one question. Will Suresh Kalmadi (IOA President) allow six other persons to form a body called Athletics India and give it recognition? The IOA has had long feuds with the IHF, but this time it has gone way too much," he said.

Fereira, who played in the 1996 Atlanta Games, wondered whether this was the end of the Indian Hockey Federation and termed the manner in which it was done undemocratic only to ensure India hosted the next year's World Cup.

"I don't understand. Is it the end of IHF? I have been in hockey for several years and I don't know most of the people on the committee. It has been done in an undemocratic manner for hosting the World Cup. Who are these people and how are they going to run the game," he wondered.

In a hurriedly convened press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Kalmadi had announced that Hockey India was formed on May 20 with a seven member governing council led-by AK Mattoo as interim president and Vidya Stokes as vice president.

Kalmadi had said Hockey India was formed after the IOA received a warning letter from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on May 5 in which the world body had expressed concerns about the existence of two hockey federations (separately for men and women) in the country.

The FIH also set IOA a 15-day deadline to act, failing which it threatened to take away the hosting rights of next year's World Cup from India as well as their participation rights in international events, Kalmadi had said.

"The Government of India and FIH have been apprised of the development," he said.

Reacting further to this development, Gurbux pointed out that there was none with hockey background in the newly formed Hockey India committee and expressed concerns that such a panel would be at the helm for two or three years.

"There's not even one person in this committee who's connected with hockey. How are they going to run the game? What have they all done in their own sports? They will just hang on for two or three years," the former international said.

The one-time ace inside right said the best way forward would be to hold elections of the Indian Hockey Federation.

"The FIH should realise what works in Germany or Spain does not necessarily do so in India which is a vast country," Carvalho said.

He also took the chance to take a pot-shot at 1975 World Cup-winning player Aslam Sher Khan, a member of the ad-hoc selection committee constituted by IOA to run the affairs of hockey after dissolving the IHF a year back.

"Aslam Sher Khan was after my blood after we failed to qualify for the (2008) Beijing Games (in the qualifiers at Chile). I resigned as coach. Why is he in hiding after our dismal show in the Asia Cup (in Malaysia)," he asked.

Fereira saw the formation of the new body as the case of old wine in new bottle.

"They said all sorts of things about the way the IHF was run under KPS Gill. Now what are they doing? It's the pot calling the kettle black," he said.