Sports Bulletin

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland (November 4, 2021):- Following two outstanding FIH Hockey Pro League victories against higher ranked Germany on home soil in Brussels, Belgium’s Red Panthers will aim replicate that superb form when they take on title holders and reigning Olympic, World and European champions the Netherlands in Amsterdam. It is the second time in under a month that the neighbouring nations have faced each other at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, on the southern outskirts of the Dutch capital. On 13th October in front of 4000 fans, the imperious Dutch claimed a 2-0 win in the first FIH Hockey Pro League match of the 2021-22 season, with legendary attacker and triple Olympic gold medallist Lidewij Welten opening the scoring after just 17 seconds. However, the contest was far from one-sided and, following Belgium’s excellent 1-0 and 3-1 triumphs over Germany on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th October, the Red Panthers will be in confident mood and relishing the opportunity to challenge the finest women’s international hockey team on the planet. Under the guidance of head coach Raoul Ehren, the Dutchman who guided Den Bosch to huge success both domestically and in European competition, Belgium are clearly making big strides forward, with those triumphs over Die Danas taking them to an all-time high of 7th in the FIH  World Rankings. Whilst the Red Panthers clearly have a very exciting future ahead of them, they will know that they face an almighty challenge against Alyson Annan’s dazzling Dutch team. Annan has named nine Olympic gold medallists from Tokyo 2020 for this match, with Welten, captain Eva de Goede, Margot van Geffen, Pien Sanders and Xan de Waard amongst them. A trio of players are set to make their senior international debuts for the Oranje, with Tessa Clasener (HDM), Fiona Morgenstern (Oranje-Rood) and Pleun van der Plas (Den Bosch) being given the chance to shine on the big stage as Annan – who in the October clash with Belgium gave debuts to Marente Barentsen and Joosje Burg, who have retained their places – continues to look at the potential stars of the future.  

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT  Lausanne, Switzerland: The results at the recent Hockey World Cup qualification events in Europe have impacted the FIH Hockey World Rankings, with the FIH Hockey Pro League and other test matches also triggering some movement. Arguably the biggest story regards the national men’s team of Wales, who have climbed from 18th to an all-time high of 15th in the rankings as a direct result of their sensational tournament victory at the FIH Men’s World Cup 2023 European Qualifier, which was played on Welsh soil in Cardiff. Having secured World Cup qualification for the first time in their history and setting a new rankings benchmark in the process, Wales men are clearly in a very good place right now. France, the team defeated by Wales in the competition final, remain 13th in the FIH World Rankings, while Italy men have dropped from 22nd to 26th. Malaysia have moved up one place from 11th to 10th following recent test matches against Wales and 14th ranked Ireland. In the women’s FIH World Rankings, Belgium’s Red Panthers are now placed 7th – their highest ever position – thanks to two superb victories over Germany in their recent FIH Hockey Pro League double-header in Brussels. Belgium sit just 20 ranking points behind 6th placed Spain, so could well be on the move again in the not-too-distant future. The recent FIH Women’s World Cup 2022 European Qualifier competition, played in Pisa, Italy, also impacted the women’s rankings. A third-place finish for Scotland’s women helped them rise from 20th to 17th, while finalists Wales are now 23rd, climbing two places from 25th. France women have also jumped two places, moving from 27th to 25th after a seventh-place finish in Cardiff. The rankings calculations model that FIH introduced on 1st January 2020 moved away from the previous tournament-based rankings system to a dynamic, match-based method where opposing teams exchange points in official, FIH sanctioned games. The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match. More information about the new rankings model can be found below. How the FIH World Rankings work: The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match. FIH World Rankings explained: Based on the Elo rating system, which is used as the basis of many other sports ranking systems When two nations play against each other, a number of ranking points are exchanged between them In every match, the number of points gained by one team is exactly matched by the number of points lost by the other Teams will win more points for beating teams ranked above them, and therefore teams will lose more points for losing to a team ranked below them Teams will win less points for beating teams ranked below them, and therefore teams will lose less points for losing to a team ranked above them If a draw occurs, the lower ranked team will gain a small number of points and the higher ranked team will lose the same number of points The number of points exchanged is dependent on the result of the match (win, lose, shootout win/loss or draw), the importance of the match (part of a major tournament, or a test series for example), and the relative difference in ranking points between the teams before the match.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (November 2, 2021):-Nawaz Rana, a Pakistani hockey player, put another feather in his cap, when he was nominated coach for the International European States Hockey League (ESHL) 2021 in Austria. While talking to this scribe over his mobile, Pakistan born Nawaz Rana said that he was the captain of the gold medal winning team in the European four-nation Indoor Hockey International Tournament Austria 2018. “I have done a lot for the promotion of hockey, as this national game is in my blood. I belong to Gojra city, a hub of hockey. As you know Gojra introduced great hockey players to the world, “he said. Agricultural Scientist, Nawaz Rana, who played over 300 matches in career, further revealed that he was named in the Austrian Top Hockey League for the year 2021 while holding the green flag on the soil of Europe. “I come from a hockey family, as former Olympian Shahbaz Jr. (Pride of performance, World Champion 1994) is my brother. I was declared best player in Inter-University Hockey and I played hockey with zeal and zest, “he added. He represented Pakistan Inter-University Hockey Team, Pakistan Custom Hockey Team, Pakistan Police Hockey Team, Gojra Sports Hockey Club also having achieved great success as a player In Pakistan during Domestic Hockey, 1992-2008. “I have the honor of playing in national and international level professional league hockey and international tournaments in European countries. Representing the Dubai national hockey team in a hockey series with the British Airways in England, he performed excellently in London. Participated as a professional hockey player in the teams of Fincantieri Hockey Club, Bara Hockey Club, Padova Hockey Club in the teams of the leading champion hockey clubs in Italy Hockey 2005-2010, “he replied to a question. Rana, who represented the National League Championship at the National Level Hockey Events in Italy, the Atala Cup, the Easter Hockey International, the 6 Nations Padova international Trophy Italy, showed his satisfaction over his hockey career. “I won the Best Player of the Year award four times and played good hockey at top level. I thank Allah Almighty, who provides me these opportunities , honour and respect, “he concluded.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland (November 1, 2021):-Belgium, Chile, Malaysia and South Africa all feature in Pool A, with a top two finish being the only way to secure a place in the competition quarter-finals and thus maintain hopes of Junior World Cup glory. Belgium How they qualified: 5th Place – EuroHockey Junior Championship Men 2019 Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 2nd, 2013 – 6th, 2009 – 11th, 2005 – 11th, 1997 – 12th, 1985 – 11th About the team: Following their silver medal at the 2016 Men’s Junior World Cup competition in Lucknow, India – Belgium’s greatest performance in the competition – the Junior Red Lions will be determined to go one place better this time around. A far from perfect fifth place finish at the 2019 EuroHockey Junior Championship in Valencia, Spain was enough for Belgium to book their ticket to Bhubaneswar, the Indian city where their senior team created history by winning the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018. With the senior men’s team now also the Olympic champions, this next generation of Belgian hockey could well feel suitably inspired to make their mark. Chile How they qualified: 1st Place: 2021 Men’s Junior Pan American Championship Junior World Cup history: 2009 – 17th, 2005 – 15th, 2001 – 15th, 1985 – 14th, 1979 – 12th About the team: Chile created a little bit of history at the 2021 Men’s Junior Pan American Championship, which was played in August on home in Santiago. The team became junior continental champions for the very first time, defeating defending champions Argentina – who had won all 11 previous editions of the competition – in the final thanks to a drama-filled shoot-out after the title match finished with the scores locked at 1-1. It was a landmark moment for the young team, inspired by the goal-scoring exploits of Andrés Pizarro, who netted seven times to finish at the tournament’s top scorer as Chile qualified for the Junior World Cup for the first time since 2009. As the Junior Pan American champions, Chile have every reason to feel confident about their chances of success in Bhubaneswar. Malaysia How they qualified: Nominated by Asian Hockey Federation Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 11th, 2013 – 4th, 2009 – 12th, 2005 – 10th, 2001 – 12th, 1993 – 11th, 1989 – 6th, 1985 – 10th, 1982 – 4th, 1979 – 4th About the team: Malaysia – who will host the 2023 edition of this event – have competed in all but one of the 11 FIH Men’s Junior World Cup tournaments staged to date, with their performances being a very mixed bag. On three occasions they just missed out on the podium, finishing fourth in 1979, 1982 and 2013, but have also endured some difficult campaigns where they have finished towards the bottom of the standings. With flair players aplenty, they can hurt any team in the world and are not to be under-estimated. Malaysia’s place in the competition was confirmed by being nominated by the Asian Hockey Federation following the unfortunate COVID-19 related cancellation of the 2021 Junior Asia Cup, which acted as the qualification competition for the Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar. South Africa How they qualified: Nominated by African Hockey Federation Junior World Cup history: 2016 – 10th, 2013 – 12th, 2009 – 15th, 2005 – 13th, 2001 – 11th About the team: Like Egypt, South Africa’s Men’s Junior World Cup ticket came courtesy of a nomination by the African Hockey Federation (AfHF). Following the cancellation of the Junior Africa Cup 2021 in Namibia due to the ongoing COVID-19 global health pandemic, AfHF based their selection on the results of the 2016 Junior Africa Cup, where South Africa finished in second place. They made their Junior World Cup debut at the Hobart 2001 (AUS) event and have competed in every subsequent competition, with their 10th place finish at Lucknow 2016 being their best to date. South Africa’s senior team turned heads at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with some scintillating attacking performances. Can the juniors do the same? The opening match of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 will see Belgium facing South Africa on 24 November at the Kalinga Stadium, the outstanding venue which hosted the last FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018. The competition final will be played on 5 December.

Sports Reporter KARACHI (October 30, 2021):-Pakistan Hockey Federation announces 21-member national junior hockey squad. The National Hockey Selection Committee forms a national junior hockey team after two-day trials. President Pakistan Hockey Federation Brig. (R) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar approves junior hockey squad selected by National Hockey Selection Committee. The 18-member national junior hockey team from the selected junior hockey squad will be further shortlisted. The National Hockey Selection Committee has selected the Pakistan Junior Hockey Team to participate in the World Junior Hockey Cup to be played from November 24 to December 5 in Bhubaneswar, India under the auspices of International Hockey Federation (FIH). National Hockey Selection Committee members Olympian Kaleemullah Khan, Olympian Khalid Hameed, Olympian Nasir Ali, Olympian Ayaz Mahmood and Olympian Wasim Feroze keenly observed and tested the players' abilities in the two-day trials. President of Pakistan Hockey Federation Brigadier Khalid Sajjad Khokhar along with Secretary General PHF Asif Bajwa watched the trials for final approval after the formation of the National Junior Hockey Squad by the Selection Committee. A 29-member training hockey camp was organized by the Pakistan Hockey Federation on October 14 under the supervision of Head Coach National Junior Hockey Team Olympian Danish Kaleem to train the players, at the end of which the National Junior Hockey Squad was selected in two days trials The Natuinal Junior Hockey Squad comprises Waqar (Goalkeeper), Abdullah (Goalkeeper), Rizwan Ali, Aqeel Ahmed, Adeel Latif, Moin Shakeel, Hammad Anjum, Roman Khan, Ghazanfar Ali, Hanan Shahid, Rana Waheed, Umair Sattar, Mohibullah, Abu zar, Abdul Manan, Ali Aziz, Mohsin Hassan, Muhammad Abdullah, Ehtesham Aslam, Abdul Rahman, and Samiullah while The standby players include Hassan Amin, Murtaza Yaqub, Shahzeb(sindh), Shahzaib (Kashmir) and Arbaaz Ahmed. Members of the 21-member national junior hockey team will report to PHF Headquarters Lahore on November 4. Where they will play a series of hockey matches on November 6, November 7, November 9 and November 10 with players participating in the National Senior Hockey Camp Under the auspices of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), 16 teams, including Pakistan, will participate in the global event, which will be played in Bhubaneswar, India from November 24 to December 5. The 16 teams include India, Pakistan, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Argentina, Malaysia, South Africa, Chile, Canada, France, Poland, Korea, United States and Egypt.

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne, Switzerland (October 29, 2021):-Meeting virtually today, the Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed the dates of the 2022 FIH Congress which will take place – virtually, as already decided - on 4-5 November next year. Looking back at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the EB members extended again their utmost gratitude to the IOC as well as the Japanese authorities and organisers for staging outstanding Olympics, despite the unprecedented challenges caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and stressed how successful this Olympiad had been for hockey. Regarding the upcoming FIH events, a detailed report was given to the EB about the preparations for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 and the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup South Africa 2021 which will start on 24 November and 5 December respectively. 

Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD (October 28, 2021):-The two-day trials for the final formation of the 18-member National Junior Squad participating in the Junior World Hockey Cup will be held on October 29 and 30 at Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium, Karachi. The National Hockey Selection Committee will review the performances and abilities of the players participating in the National Junior Hockey Training Camp in two-day trials. President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Brigadier (Retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar will also be present for final approval during the formation of the National Junior Hockey Team by the PHF Selection Committee while Secretary General Pakistan Hockey Federation Olympian Asif Bajwa will also accompany him to review the performance of the players. The Pakistan Hockey Federation has issued a letter to the National Hockey Selection Committee for the final formation of the national junior hockey team on 29th and 30th October 2021. The Pakistan Hockey Federation's Selection Committee includes Olympian Manzoor Jr. (Chairman), Olympian Kaleemullah, Olympian Nasir Ali, Olympian Ayaz Mahmood, Olympian Khalid Hameed and Olympian Wasim Feroz. Pakistan Hockey Federation to host practice matches between national junior hockey team and national senior hockey camp players in Lahore. The National Junior Hockey Team will arrive at Lahore on November 3, 2021 for practice matches with the players participating in the Senior Hockey Camp in preparation for the Junior World Cup. The first two matches will be played at the National Hockey Stadium Lahore on November 6 and 7 under the auspices of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, while the last two matches will be played on November 9 and 10 after a one-day break on November 8. The World Junior Hockey Cup will be played in Bhubaneswar, India from November 24 to December 5 this year 2021. The Pakistan Juniors Hockey Team will play its first match against Germany on November 24 and Pakistan will face Egypt on November 27. The National Hockey Squad will play its last match of the Pool Round against Argentina on November 28.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland (October 25, 2021):-The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup bursts into vibrant life in Bhubaneswar, India in just a few days time. The event, featuring many of the world’s best junior players from 16 nations, takes place in the Kalinga Stadium, where many a dramatic hockey event has been played out. Names that have gone onto achieve greatness on the international senior stage have made their entrance via the Junior World Cup. Germany’s Christopher Ruhr first made his goalscoring prowess known at the 2013 Junior World Cup where he was top scorer and Germany took gold. In 2016, India were gold medallists on home soil in Lucknow. The newly crowned FIH Player of the Year Harmanpreet Singh was an instrumental part of that team. World Cup winners in 2018 and  Olympic gold medallists from Tokyo 2020 Arthur de Sloover, Victor Wegnez and Antoine Kina were all part of the silver medal-winning Belgium team in Lucknow. At this year’s event, reigning champions India FIH World Ranking: 5) and silver medallists Belgium (WR:2) are joined by Germany, Spain, Netherlands (WR:3), France, Poland (WR:26), South Africa (WR:14), Egypt (WR:21), Chile (WR:28), Argentina (WR:4), Pakistan (WR:17), Malaysia (WR:11), Korea (WR:16), USA (WR:24) and Canada (WR:10). For the host nation, this Junior World Cup could not come at a better time. Bronze at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, alongside a fourth place for the women’s national team has raised excitement around the sport to fever pitch in the hockey mad country. Yashdeep Siwach is just one of a number of players hungry to retain the title. Germany won the EuroHockey Junior Championship Men in 2019 with a side that contained many athletes who have now tasted Olympic hockey with the senior team. Expect players such as Alexander Stadler and Linus Müller to tap into all that experience as they push for a seventh title. Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and France finished in third, fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively at the EuroHockey Junior Championships. For the Dutch team, a win in Bhubaneswar would end a long wait for a gold medal, while the Belgium team will be hoping to emulate the senior men with a first title. Spain’s highest finish from 11 appearances at the Junior World Cup is a bronze in 2005, while France stunned the world in 2013 when they won silver, a feat they would love to repeat, particularly with Paris 2024 just around the corner. Poland entered the fray after England withdrew due to Covid-19 related complications. The Polish team last competed at the Junior World Cup in 2009 and will be grasping this unexpected opportunity to show their skills on the international stage. Egypt and South Africa were both nominated by the African Hockey Federation after the Men’s Junior Africa Cup 2019 was cancelled due to Covid-19 complications. The nominations were based on the results of the 2016 Junior Africa Cup. Egypt are perennial qualifiers for the Junior World Cup, with their most recent – Lucknow 2016 – producing their best finish (10th). South Africa’s captain Guy Morgan, is hoping his team can turn heads in the same way that the senior men’s team did in Tokyo. The Pan American Hockey Federation quartet has some history makers, some late minute opportunists and some title contenders in their number. Both USA and Canada were nominated as reserve teams and so were able to take their places when Australia and New Zealand withdrew due to Covid-related international travel restrictions in those two countries. USA are coached by USA all-time great Pat Harris, so expect a well-prepared team despite the late entry. Canada have the highly skilled Jagpreet Singh in the squad – a player capable of shining even on this elite stage. Chile men won the Junior Pan American Championship for the first time in their history, breaking Argentina’s hold on the competition. The Chile team, with ace goal scorer Andres Pizarro in their midst will go to India high in confidence. Argentina won gold in Rotterdam 2005 and were fifth in Lucknow. The loss to Chile in the continental qualifier may well act as a motivating factor for the young lions. Pakistan, Malaysia and Korea all enter the tournament in Lucknow after being nominated by the Asian Hockey Federation. Pakistan have a proud history at this event, winning the inaugural Junior World Cup and finishing on the podium in each of the first five editions. Since those heady days, Pakistan has not achieved so highly since but, with the players’ mercurial skills and resilience, they can never be written off. The 2023 hosts, Malaysia and Korea are both regular participants at the Junior World Cup. Malaysia has competed in 10 of the 11 editions, while Korea have appeared eight times. Both teams would need a best ever performance to get onto the podium, but both sides have skilful and speedy players and cannot be underestimated. The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup starts on 24 November when Belgium face South Africa in the opening match of the competition.

Sports Reporter LAHORE (October 20, 2021):-Wapda women hockey team outplayed Punjab Colours 4-0 to clinch inaugural First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship at the National Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.  In the 3rd/4th position match, Railways women hockey team trounced Army 2-1. Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Fahmida Mirza and her husband Zulfiqar Mirza were the guests of honour at the grand concluding ceremony. They were also introduced with the finalist teams prior to the title clash. Federal Minister for IPC Fahmida Mirza awarded the winners' trophy and a cash prize of Rs 500 thousands to the Wapda team. Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani distributed medals among runners up and 3rd position holder teams of the event. DG Pakistan Sports Board Asif Zaman, Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani, Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh, PHF Women Hockey Wing General Manager Tanzeela Amir Cheema, Director Admin Javed Chohan, Director Sports Hafeez Bhatti, head coach of national hockey team Olympian Khawaja Junaid, Col (retd) Asif Naz Khokhar, Olympian Mohammad Usman and a large number of hockey players and enthusiasts were also present on this occasion.

Ali Ahmed LAHORE (October 20, 2021):-International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Wednesday announced the complete schedule of the upcoming FIH Hockey Junior World Cups, Men’s and Women’s, which will be played Bhubaneswar, India. According to media department of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), the opening match of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 will be played between Belgium and South Africa on November 24 at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, India. Pakistan will play first match against Germany on November 24, as Egypt and Argentina are also in the in Pakistan’s Pool. As many as 16 teams from all over the world compete for the top honour. Besides, hosts India, Pakistan, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Malaysia, South Africa, Chile, Canada, France, Poland and United States of America (USA) will be in action in the World Cup Juniors’ Hockey. Following England’s withdrawal, Poland will join the event and play in Pool B alongside the hosts and title holders, India, as well as Canada and France.