Sports Bulletin

Pakistan beat Canada by 4-3 to earn seventh place in the Tournament Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: A Dayaan Cassiem master-class led South Africa to victory over Ireland in the thrilling final of the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022, securing qualification into the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 season for the hosts. The packed crowd in Potchefstroom was treated to an end-to-end display of attacking hockey in a closely fought match that ended in a 4-3 win in favor of South Africa. The attacking stars from both teams showed up in the big finals with Dayaan Cassiem and Shane O’Donoghue scoring twice, while Tevin Kok, Mustaphaa Cassiem and John McKee also getting on the scorecard. Dayaan Cassiem was especially brilliant, scoring two fantastic goals for the hosts in the first half before winning the penalty stroke, scored by younger brother Mustaphaa that gave South Africa the win in the final quarter. Pakistan beat Canada (5-4) in 7th place match: Pakistan started the 7th place playoff game on the attack, scoring two goals inside the first 6 minutes of the game. Canada didn’t let Pakistan run away with the game, and found two goals of their own to end the first half on level terms. Both teams scored a goal each from penalty corners and open play. The second half continued to follow a back and forth pattern. Pakistan struck first in the 4th quarter after a scoreless 3rd, but Canada answered back within a minute. Canada then took the lead for the first time in the game with 6 minutes left, through a second Sean Murray goal, from a penalty corner. Pakistan responded instantly as a brilliant move from the right by Abdul Rana split the defense and allowed him to lift the ball over the keeper, into the net. Pakistan carried the momentum into the final minutes and a brilliant counter attacking move resulted in a goal scored by a diving Usama Bashir, to give Pakistan the lead with 3 minutes left to play that they carried to the end. Usama Bashir, the winning goal scorer for Pakistan, was awarded the player of the match and said: “It came a bit late but as the tournament went on we started implementing the plan that coach Aikman had devised for us. That is what has got us the win today and we will improve further in the future.” France vs Japan 2-2 (Shoot-out: 4-2) 5th place match: The French resurgence at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup continued as they finished their campaign on a high with a shoot-out win against Japan to claim the 5th position. Japan finish in the 6th place at the end of a good campaign that could’ve ended very differently had a few key moments gone their way. France were quicker off the block and threatened to run away with the game, scoring twice in the first quarter. Captain Victor Charlet added the 5th goal of his campaign from a thundering penalty corner and Timothée Clément scored his first goal, diving across the goal to deflect a cross sent in by Gaspard Xavier. Korea beat Malaysia (4-0) in Bronze medal match: The Bronze medal match set-up a replay of the opening day match between Korea and Malaysia, where Korea had edged Malaysia in a narrow 1-0 win. While Korea once again emerged victors in the repeat contest, the margin between the two teams was much wider this time, thanks to the offensive masterclass the Korean attack put in. After a goalless first quarter, Korea added two goals that gave them a lead they fully deserved. Seo Inwoo scored the opener before captain Namyong Lee doubled the lead with a great deflection at the back post. If Malaysia were looking for a reset at the interval, they did not get one. It was all Korea again in the 2nd half and they further added to their lead from a 39th minute penalty corner. The Malaysian rushers went straight for Jonghyun Jang, the top scorer at the Nations Cup, but Korea went for a variation with Jang passing it off to Jeon, and his pass to the far post was deflected in by Taeil Hwang. Jang still managed to get his 7th goal of the tournament though, with Korea winning a penalty corner in the 59th minute that Jang dispatched into the bottom left corner of the goal putting a cherry on top of the Korean win. South Africa beat Ireland (4-3) in gold medal match: South Africa started the second half strongly once again, and doubled their lead in the opening minute through a piece of individual brilliance by Tevin Kok who found the ball in a crowded space inside the circle, but calmly tapped it up, on to his stick, and lifted it over the keeper to double South Africa’s lead. South Africa could have sealed the win with another goal, but it was the Irish who scored the next goal of the game, with Shane O’Donoghue scoring his 5th goal of the campaign. John McKee then brought Ireland level with a goal right at the stroke of the 3rd quarter buzzer that took a deflection off Keenan Horne’s stick and sailed over the head of Kriek who was left stranded by the deflection. With 15 minutes left for both teams to look for a winner, Ireland committed too many players forward and an errant back pass was intercepted by the sharp Dayaan Cassiem who charged at the Irish goal with just the keeper to beat, but was brought down by O’Donoghue, resulting in a penalty stroke. It was Dayaan’s younger brother, Mustaphaa Cassiem who stepped up to take the penalty stroke and calmly slotted the ball past David Fitzgerald to get the lead back for South Africa.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: The high quality hockey in both semi-finals were settled with moments of brilliance as Ireland and South Africa booked their spots in the first ever finals of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022, with the winning team earning a promotion into the FIH Hockey Pro League for the 2023-24 season. France beat Canada (7-1): France came into the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup as strong favorites but so far had flattered to deceive, with losses against Ireland and South Africa followed by a draw against Pakistan. Their defense had done reasonably well through most of the three matches, barring an errant 2nd half display against Pakistan, but their attack, which boasts of some real stars, never got going in the pool stage. Things turned around big time today, as France met Canada in the 5-8 classification match. It took France 15 minutes to open the scoring through captain Victor Charlet, but that goal opened the floodgates and France scored 6 more goals over the course of the match. Blaise Rogeau was the pick of the players scoring the first hat-trick of the Nations Cup. Canada scored a cracking goal of their own through a Matthew Sarmento tomahawk shot from the edge of the circle, but it was little more than a consolation as the game ended 7-1 in favor of France. Japan beat Pakistan (3-1): Pakistan’s best performance in the Nations Cup ends up in a loss, as their failure to convert chances, and Japan’s  helps Japan earn a victory and the opportunity to face France in the 5th place playoff. Pakistan looked threatening through the first three quarters of the game, often getting into the Japanese circle with chances to score, but for all their attacking intent and opportunities, the final touch was missing. Their defense lived dangerously too, conceding far too many penalty corners, and Japan finally broke the deadlock right before half-time, through their 6th opportunity from the set piece. As Pakistan’s looked to mount a comeback, they overcommitted on attack, and Japan exposed the space behind the Pakistani defense with two goals on the counter-attack. Pakistan scored one goal of their own in the 4th quarter through the impressive Rooman, but it wasn’t enough, as Pakistan will now face Canada in the 7th place play-off, while Japan will face France in the battle for 5th place. Ireland beat Malaysia (3-0): Two moments of pure magic from Ireland in the third quarter broke a stalemate leading them to a win and a spot in the finals of the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2022, in a tough, tactical battle against Malaysia. In a tense and fairly even game, the momentum swung from one team to another, but neither team could find a breakthrough until the 41st minute, when a brilliant piece of control by Benjamin Walker in the Malaysian circle allowed him to swivel and smash a shot past the Malaysian keeper to give Ireland the lead. Two minutes later, yet another Irish attack from the left saw the ball pass around beautifully, allowing Jeremy Duncan to pass the ball into an empty goal. And while Malaysia searched for a way back into the game in the final quarter, it was Ireland through Duncan again, who created a wonderful 3-on-1 opportunity and scored the goal that sealed Malaysia’s fate. South Africa beat Korea 1-1 (2-3 shootout): Korea and South Africa met in the second semi-finals which proved to be another cagey affair with neither team able to produce a goal in the first half. But much like the first semi-final, a moment of brilliance broke the deadlock. For South Africa it was 25 year-old Tevin Kok, who has scored some belters already in the Nations Cup, coming up big once again, with a smashing reverse shot to open the scoring. Jonghyun Jang, the leading scorer of the Nations Cup stepped up once again from the penalty corner, to get his 6th goal, to level the score for Korea and the match headed into a shoot-out. The shoot-outs are always a nervous affair, but that was not the case for South African keeper Anton van Loggerenberg, who was substituted in for the shoot-out, and showed no nerves as he showed remarkable composure in the goal throughout the shoot-outs.

Sports Bulletin Report POTCHEFSTROOM (South Africa): As many as 21 total goals were scored on match day 3 of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup as a fascinating blend of attacking and defensive hockey thrilled fans who packed the stands on a breezy day in Potchefstroom. Korea beat Canada (6-2): Korea came into the final pool stage match knowing a draw would be enough to seal a top spot in Pool B, but with just one goal so far from open play, they came out on the offensive. The Canadian defense held strong and repelled wave after wave of Korean attacks, looking to counter with long passes out of defense. They capitalized on the first big opportunity of the game through a great drag flick by captain Gordon Johnston, to stun Korea. But Korea took the setback in their stride and kept attacking. Joghyun Jang continued his scoring form from penalty corners, bringing Korea back level after Canada’s first major lapse in defense led to a penalty corner in the 27th minute. It was all Korea in the second half as they scored 5 unanswered goals through two penalty corners via Joghyun Jang and Hyeonhong Kim, a penalty stroke won and converted by Byungjin Jeon and two cracking open play goals by Jungjun Lee and Inwoo Seo to put the game beyond Canada’s reach. Canada added a late goal from another Gordon Johnston penalty corner, but it was little more than a consolation. France vs Pakistan (3-3): France and Pakistan came into the match with nothing to gain, having missed out on semi-final qualification already, but both teams also had nothing to lose. So the viewers were treated to an end-to-end match of hockey with neither team looking to play cautiously. Pakistan opened the scoring through a terrific open play goal in the 9th minute by Abdul Rana, but France struck back inside three minutes with a fantastic open play goal of their own, scored by Pieter van Straaten. Pakistan struck again before the interval, as a shot by Afraz looked to have been well saved by French keeper Arthur Thieffry, but the shot had enough power to still trickle into the goal as Thieffry failed to pull it back. Pakistan started the second half on the front foot, but missed a couple of great scoring opportunities and France made them pay by equalizing through a smart deflected goal by Noé Jouin. Both teams continued to play at a breakneck speed and while plenty of chances were created by both teams, most lacked the finishing touches. With less than 3 minutes left on the clock, France were presented with a golden opportunity through a penalty corner, and François Goyet stepped up and put France in the lead. Pakistan refused to throw in the towel and scored from a penalty corner of their own through Arbaz Ahmad, with just 40 seconds left on the clock. Malaysia beat Japan (5-1): The match was effectively a quarterfinal, as the winner would be guaranteed to advance into the semi-finals, and both teams absolutely came flying off the blocks. Malaysia took the lead in the 2nd minute through Najib Hassan, but Japan were back level within two minutes of going down, with Kosei Kawabe getting on the scoresheet for the first time in the tournament. The pace of the game slowed down after the early goals, but picked up pace once again as Malaysia retook the lead from a Aminuddin Muhammad penalty corner. Both teams created chances, with each team winning 2 penalty corners each in the final 5 minutes of the half, but the defensive units of both teams held their ground and Malaysia took a one goal lead into the interval. The onus to get back into the game was on Japan in the second half and as they committed more players to attack, Malaysia exposed the space behind their defense and scored three goals in the third quarter through Faizel Saari, Ashran Hamsani and a second in the game for Najib Hassan. The burst of 3 goals in the 3rd quarter ended Japan’s hopes of making a comeback, and even though they had their chances, Malaysian defense held them at bay and sealed a comfortable 5-1 win and a spot in the semi-finals. Ireland beat South Africa (1-0): Ireland and South Africa met in the final pool stage match of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 with only the top spot in Pool A and bragging rights up for grabs; both teams having already qualified for the semi-finals. The pace of the game suffered as neither team could consistently maintain momentum through the match. The fierce physical nature of the game meant players were constantly on the edge and tough tackles kept flying in as tempers flared. A total of 6 cards were handed out to the two teams through the game, with South Africa on the receiving end of 3 green cards and one yellow card and Irish players receiving one green and one yellow card as well.

Korea, Ireland and South Africa seal semi-final berths Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 saw a plethora of attacking displays as all teams managed to get themselves on the scoresheet. But it was joy for some and despair for others as the semifinals picture started to take shape as the day progressed. Korea, Ireland and South Africa made it two wins in two matches, and qualified for the semi-finals, with one pool match still to go. Meanwhile Pakistan, Canada and France can no longer qualify after taking no points from the first two games. Korea beat Japan (3-1): Japan came racing off the blocks in the battle between two Asian rivals, but a combination of poor finishing and excellent keeping from Jehyeon Kim kept Korea in the game; who then made Japan pay for the missed opportunities by scoring on either side of the first quarter break through Jonghyun Jang and Sunghyun Kim. Japan pulled one back before the half as a speculative shot by Takuma Niwa snuck through the legs of Jehyeon Kim. The pace of the game slowed down significantly in the 3rd quarter, with both teams prodding, without committing too many to attack. Japan conceded a penalty corner with one second left in the third quarter, and Korea snatched the opportunity with a perfect top corner flick by Jonghyun Jang again. Ireland beat Pakistan (3-1): Ireland came into the game as heavy favorites after their impressive win against France yesterday, while Pakistan had suffered a heavy defeat against South Africa, but the first quarter proved how close all teams at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2022 are, with neither team giving an edge. Pakistan opened the scoring through a smart finish by Abdul Shahid at the start of the 2nd quarter, but Ireland struck back almost instantly via Conor Empey. Both teams looked for attacking opportunities in the second half, but Pakistan could not make theirs count, while Ireland added two goals; the first, a beautiful team move with intricate passing that was knocked into an empty goal by Benjamin Walker, and a second via a Shane O’Donoghue penalty corner. The two second half goals were enough for Ireland to see the game out and make it 6 points from 2 matches so far. Malaysia beat Canada (3-2): Through most of the game Malaysia looked like they were going to be on the losing end of yet another frustrating encounter, where they had plenty of chances, but couldn’t find a way to get the final shot. But a 4th quarter surge reversed their fortunes and earned them 3 crucial points, which makes their next encounter against Japan, where a victory will see them qualify for the semi-finals. Canada took the lead in the game twice, but the Malaysian attack kept pressing on, despite failing to find a final touch on multiple occasions. With just 15 minutes to go in the game and Malaysia trailing by a goal, Canada’s Matthew Sarmento picked up a 10-minute suspension that handed Malaysia the impetus, and they capitalized on the player advantage through an Abu Azrai goal, leveling the score. Azrai then found himself in the right spot once again in the 57th minute of the game, as his shot deflected off a Canadian stick and looped over the keeper and into the goal to earn Malaysia a huge win. South Africa beat France (2-1): South Africa and France produced attacking masterclasses when they faced off in the FIH Hockey Pro League earlier in the year and it was no different today as the two teams went head-to-head in the Nations Cup. Corentin Sellier opened the scoring for France in the 12th minute with a brilliant move inside the circle to make room for himself and bury a shot into the roof of the net. South Africa answered back within a minute as a pinpoint long range pass by Ryan Julius found Tevin Kok, whose brilliant first touch allowed him to put the ball past the onrushing French keeper to level things up. Dayaan Cassiem has been the heart and soul of the South African team and showed once again why he is so highly regarded as his brilliant 3d skills cracked the French defense open in the 4th quarter and Keenan Horne had an easy tap-in to give South Africa a well-deserved lead. South Africa continued to play attacking hockey despite the lead, while their defense stood firm and repelled all French attacks, earning them a win and confirming their spot in the semi-finals, with a game still to play in the pool stage, against Ireland.

Sports Bulletin Report POTCHEFSTROOM (South Africa): Besides hosts South Africa, Japan, Korea and Ireland posted victories on the opening day of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 after winning their respective matches played at Potchefstroom, South Africa. Japan beat Canada (3-0): Japanese coach Akira Takahashi mentioned before the game that his team wouldn’t be afraid to play to their strengths and his team backed up his words with a dominant display in the opening encounter against Canada with a clinical 3-0 win to open their campaign. Japan started the game on the front foot and opened the scoring through Ken Nagayoshi beating Zachary Coombs on the fifth time of asking from a penalty corner midway through the 2nd quarter. Japan added two more goals from penalty corners on either side of the half-time through Taiki Takade and a second goal for Ken Nagayoshi, ending Canadian hopes of a comeback, taking all 3 points in the first game of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2022. Japan’s Kaito Tanaka was awarded the player of the match for a dominant display in the middle of the field. Speaking about the importance of winning the first game, Tanaka said: “It is important to win the first game, but the next two matches are just as important, so our focus is going to shift on the next game right away.” Ireland beat France (2-1): France came into the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 as one of the prohibitive favorites, but suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of continental rivals Ireland, in their campaign opener. Ireland opened the scoring against the run of play midway through the first quarter, catching France out on a quick counter attack, as John McKee played a perfect pass into the path of Jeremy Duncan, who lifted the ball over the keeper, into the goal. France found a response inside 5 minutes, from a thundering penalty corner goal, scored by Victor Charlet. Ireland had the chance to go into the break with their lead restored but Arthur Thieffry pulled off a spectacular save from a penalty stroke to keep the teams level. The second half saw the game start to open up as the teams took turns to launch attacks. Ireland found the breakthrough in the final minute of the 3rd quarter, through a Shane O’Donoghue penalty corner. France continued to probe through the 4th quarter, even taking their keeper off for the final 5 minutes, but Ireland denied them possession for long periods and deservedly took all 3 points. John McKee who set up the first goal for Ireland was adjudged the player of the match and said: “It was a really good game for us and a massive result in the group. I am looking forward to the next two games and we are not going to get ahead of ourselves.” Korea beat Malaysia (1-0): Korea drew first blood in the battle of the Asian giants, scoring inside 5 minutes, through a Jonghyun Jang penalty corner and that goal was enough to get all 3 points for Korea. It was a game of missed chances as Korea and Malaysia both won penalty strokes in the 2nd quarter, but failed to capitalize, as Jang took too long to take a shot attempt and blew an opportunity to double Korea’s lead, while Rahim, who had the chance to pull Malaysia level, put his penalty stroke attempt wide to the right. The second half saw yet another penalty stroke opportunity missed, as Jang’s second chance of the game was deflected on to the post and out by Hafizuddin Othman to keep Malaysia in the game. As the game went on, Korea became more defensive, and Malaysia couldn’t get anything past Jaehyeon Kim, who had an outstanding performance in the Korean goal. Kim was adjudged the player of the match and said: “Happy with the 3 points, as it’s always good to get a win over Asian rivals Malaysia, because they aren’t an easy team to beat. Looking forward to the upcoming matches in the tournament now.”   South Africa beat Pakistan (6-2): Hosts South Africa gave the home crowd a lot to cheer for, as they produced a fluent attacking performance winning 6-2 against Pakistan, who showed plenty of promise, but were let down by the lack of defensive solidity. South Africa were clinical from the set pieces, scoring from two penalty corners and a penalty stroke in the first half. Tyson Dlungwana penalty corner opened the scoring for the hosts, and while Pakistan pulled level through Rooman, South Africa were not bogged down and continued to attack, scoring twice in the second quarter to take a comfortable lead into the interval. The pace of the game remained frantic in the second half as well, with South Africa striking first through a magical deflection by Tevin Kok, with his back to the goal that snuck in between the keeper’s legs. Skipper Dayaan Cassiem scored South Africa’s 5th goal in the final quarter to seal the win for his team in style. Pakistan pulled a goal back in the final quarter through Arshad Liaqat, but it proved to be little more than a consolation, as South Africa found a 6th goal on the counter to close the game out. Captain Dayaan Cassiem was awarded the player of the match award for his excellent performance in leading the line for South Africa. Samkelo Mvimbi, scorer of South Africa’s third goal, said: “It was a great start to the tournament for the team, and good to be involved amongst the goals as well. It’s a great feeling to play at home in front of the supporters and it gives us extra motivation to come out and play with a lot of passion, heart and fire as we are known to do.”

Sports Bulletin Report MULTAN (November 27, 2022): Pakistan WAPDA have won the title of the first All-Pakistan Commissioner Gold Cup Hockey Tournament played at Multan Hockey Stadium under the supervision of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) in collaboration with the District Government Multan, District Sports Department Multan and District Hockey Association Multan. An exciting final between Army and WAPDA was quelled 1-1 in the 4 quarters. Amjad Khan of WAPDA scored the goal for his team while Mohammad Anas scored a goal for Army. Later Pakistan WAPDA won by four goals to two through a shootout. Yasir Khursheed and Hafiz Atif Butt performed the duties of umpiring in this match. The reserve umpire was Irfan Tahir. While the technical official was Muzmal Hussain and the judges were Shafqat Malik, Mohammad Ali, Naseer, Umair, Mirza Mujahid. Waqar Younis of WAPDA declared man of the match. Earlier, the third and fourth position play-off match was taken place between Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Pakistan Navy won 2-1. Mohammad Yasir scored both goals for Navy. While Adnan scored a goal for PAF. Waqas Butt and Zahid Hameed performed the duties of umpiring while reserve umpire was Irfan Tahir. Technical official was Javed Sadiq and the judges were Shafqat Malik, Naseer, Umeer, Munoor and Rao Nadeem. Assistant Commissioner Multan City Khawaja Umeer, Brigadier Malik Masroor, Chaudhry Mohammad Aneeq, Director of Yakoob Soup, General Manager Royal Orchard Malik Abdul Rauf, Sheikh Mohammad Adnan of Cleaning Solution Private Limited, Al Falah were the chief guests on the occasion of the final. Marketing Rashid Qureshi, Mohammad Hasan Khan DO Sports Rana Mohammad Nadeem Anjum, Tournament Director Olympian Qamar Zia, PHF Go Coordinator Major (Retd) Javed Arshad Manj, Tournament Organizing Secretary Col R Asif Naz Khokhar, Assistant Tournament Directors Usman Akbar Rai Kharl and Kamran Sabir, President DHA Multan Mian Mohammad Zafarullah Bhatti, Chief Coordinator Kamran Sharif Chaudhry, Umpire Manager Jameel Butt, Assistant Umpire Manager Zavalafiqar Hussain, Coordinator Amanullah Malik, Coordinator Abdul Saeed, Media Coordinator Mohammad Waqas Shaikh, D. HA Multan Vice President Ambassador Shah, Joint Secretary Mohammad Asif Mehmood, Executive Member Khurram Shah were also present.

Sports Bulletin Report POTCHEFSTROOM (South Arica): “We expect to be competitive in every match. We play only western teams, South Africa, Ireland and France, in the group stage and they play a different style of hockey than Asian teams. Our new team didn't play any match against western teams yet, so that will be our challenge. But all teams are fairly near in the world rankings, “said Pakistan hockey coach Siegfried Aikman. Cheslyn Gie, Interim Head Coach (RSA): "As always our team's objective is to make the knockout stages. We have shown in the past couple of years we can compete in the big games against the best nations and we want to do that in front of our home fans. We are a team in a transitional phase as a number of players are not available and our depth will be tested, but we believe the players who are given the opportunity will step up for our country. I am honoured at the opportunity to lead the team at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup." Patrick Tshutshani, Head Coach (CAN): “The on-field and off-field chemistry will be key in our development steps moving forward. The key steps for us will be how we connect as a team, and how we want to play the game. The Nations Cup brings great competition, and I look forward to how we apply ourselves in pressure moments.” Fred Soyez, Head Coach (FRA): “This is a very important tournament for us with two big objectives: the qualification for the next FIH Hockey Pro League and the preparation for the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup. The team is very excited to play again in Potchefstroom and ready to start the competition.” Mark Tumilty, Head Coach (IRL): “We are looking forward to the challenge of the inaugural Nations Cup. We expect it to be a very competitive tournament with all teams evenly matched. We will need to be at our best to give us a chance to progress in the tournament.” Arul Anthoni (MAS): “We hope to make defensive improvements after the Azlan Shah Cup, have a better outcome in attacking and play the Final to improve our world ranking.” Akira Takahashi (JPN): “If we win this tournament, we can join the FIH Hockey Pro League next year. So that is our objective. Furthermore, we’re back in the World Cup – which we missed for the last three consecutive editions - so we want to use this tournament also to prepare well for the upcoming World Cup.” Shin Seok Kyo (KOR): “This tournament enables to reach the FIH Hockey Pro League, where you have the highest possible level. Our team is strong. We’re hoping for the top four, and targeting to reach the final. We will play to our best, also to prepare for the World Cup.” Pakistan coach expects to be competitive in every match of FIH Nations Cup Sports Bulletin Report POTCHEFSTROOM (South Arica): “We expect to be competitive in every match. We play only western teams, South Africa, Ireland and France, in the group stage and they play a different style of hockey than Asian teams. Our new team didn't play any match against western teams yet, so that will be our challenge. But all teams are fairly near in the world rankings, “said Pakistan hockey coach Siegfried Aikman. Cheslyn Gie, Interim Head Coach (RSA): "As always our team's objective is to make the knockout stages. We have shown in the past couple of years we can compete in the big games against the best nations and we want to do that in front of our home fans. We are a team in a transitional phase as a number of players are not available and our depth will be tested, but we believe the players who are given the opportunity will step up for our country. I am honoured at the opportunity to lead the team at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup." Patrick Tshutshani, Head Coach (CAN): “The on-field and off-field chemistry will be key in our development steps moving forward. The key steps for us will be how we connect as a team, and how we want to play the game. The Nations Cup brings great competition, and I look forward to how we apply ourselves in pressure moments.” Fred Soyez, Head Coach (FRA): “This is a very important tournament for us with two big objectives: the qualification for the next FIH Hockey Pro League and the preparation for the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup. The team is very excited to play again in Potchefstroom and ready to start the competition.” Mark Tumilty, Head Coach (IRL): “We are looking forward to the challenge of the inaugural Nations Cup. We expect it to be a very competitive tournament with all teams evenly matched. We will need to be at our best to give us a chance to progress in the tournament.” Arul Anthoni (MAS): “We hope to make defensive improvements after the Azlan Shah Cup, have a better outcome in attacking and play the Final to improve our world ranking.” Akira Takahashi (JPN): “If we win this tournament, we can join the FIH Hockey Pro League next year. So that is our objective. Furthermore, we’re back in the World Cup – which we missed for the last three consecutive editions - so we want to use this tournament also to prepare well for the upcoming World Cup.” Shin Seok Kyo (KOR): “This tournament enables to reach the FIH Hockey Pro League, where you have the highest possible level. Our team is strong. We’re hoping for the top four, and targeting to reach the final. We will play to our best, also to prepare for the World Cup.” Siegfried Aikman (PAK): “We expect to be competitive in every match. We play only western teams, South Africa, Ireland and France, in the group stage and they play a different style of hockey than Asian teams. Our new team didn't play any match against western teams yet, so that will be our challenge. But all teams are fairly near in the world rankings.”

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne (Switzerland): Acting President Seif Ahmed, the Executive Board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) have selected Belgium and the Netherlands to jointly host the 2026 FIH Hockey Women’s and Men’s World Cups simultaneously. Decision was taken in the 48th FIH Congress that held under the chairmanship of FIH Acting President Seif Ahmed. The combined event will take place in July or August 2026 in Amsterdam/Amstelveen, Netherlands and Wavre, Belgium, with female and male teams playing in both venues. The proposed format for the match schedule - with one local team, Belgium or the Netherlands, playing each day in order to make sure to fill the venues every day -, the particularly solid financial foundation of this bid – including the support from the host broadcasters – as well as the athletes’ performance and well-being have been instrumental in the EB’s decision. Commenting on the decision, FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “On behalf of FIH, I would like to thank wholeheartedly all National Associations that submitted a bid. We received excellent proposals and it was therefore a particularly challenging task to decide. We’re very much looking forward to working with the National Associations of the current Women’s and Men’s World and Olympic Champions, the Netherlands and Belgium respectively, that will undoubtedly put together outstanding World Cups!” On a different note, the EB received a comprehensive report on the FIH Finances. Thanks to additional income and reduced expenses, the final operational profit for 2022 is expected to be higher than the 500k CHF budgeted. The FIH Hockey Pro League operational result is also positive by 129k for season 3 (2021-22) and is expected to amount to at least 150k for season 4 (2022-23). For 2023, the budget has been approved by the EB. The expected FIH financial result is an operational profit of 1m CHF (including 150k profit from the FIH Hockey Pro League) thanks, to a large extent, to the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup in India. The positive evolution of the FIH Hockey Pro League in financial terms is confirmed by its financial result figures: it started from -750k in 2018 (season 0) and -3.5m in 2019 (season 1) to -124k in season 2, +129k for season 3 and +150k for season 4. Therefore, after two difficult years (2018 and 2019), the Pro League finances remained stable in 2020 and 2021 - despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of 35% of the matches! - to 2022 and 2023, where the forecast is, as mentioned above, positive.  

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: Secretary, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Haider Hussain has said that the national team would participate in the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament with full preparations and try their best to produce sparkling performance. According to media department of PHF, Haider said in his statement, “According to the instructions of President PHF Brigadier (R) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, all facilities are being provided to the players in the camp. We took trials of players from across the country on the basis of merit under the supervision of the PHF Selection Committee that resulted in the best combination of senior and junior players, “he added. “Regarding the selection of players, the performance of the players in the All Pakistan Chief Minister Balochistan Hockey Tournament held in Quetta last month came to light.PHF full selection committee chairman and members were present on this occasion. Apart from this, there was an opportunity to bring players from all over Pakistan including KPK, Sindh Punjab, Balochistan. Team will leave for Malaysia on October 27 to play the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup, where they will also play a practice match against Japan, “he said.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lausanne (Switzerland):-2016 Olympic Gold medallists Argentina and Africa’s highest-ranked nation South Africa will open the 2023 FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup. The thrilling encounter between these two powerhouses of international hockey will take place on 13 January 2023 in the iconic Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneswar, which hosted the last Men’s World Cup final in 2018. The second match of the day in Bhubaneswar will see world’s number one Australia taking on France, in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup quarter-final. Later on the same day, the brand-new Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela will host its first-ever FIH World Cup matches, starting with a “derby” between England and Wales, followed by the local heroes of India playing in front of their home fans against Spain. In total, 44 matches will be played, with the Final scheduled on 29 January (7pm local time) in Bhubaneswar. Four Pools: Pool A: Australia, Argentina, France, South Africa Pool B: Belgium, Germany, Korea, Japan Pool C: Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia, Chile Pool D: India, England, Spain, Wales