Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE (September 13, 2021): Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said that the preparations of forthcoming First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship were in final stages and this championship would definitely play a significant role in further promotion of hockey among female players across the country. Director Sports Hafeez Bhatti, Project Director PMU Nadeem Anwer and Deputy Director Chand  Perveen attended the meeting which was convened to review the arrangements of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship scheduled to be staged at National Hockey Stadium from September 18-23, 2021. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said the First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship will provide an appropriate platform to budding female hockey players of the country to demonstrate their talent in a competitive environment. “The entire corona SOPs and protocols will be followed fully during the 6-day hockey championship. The top performing teams and individuals will be given plenty of prizes to encourage them to participate in hockey events with great amount of spirit and passion”. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said the holding of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship is a major step for the promotion of hockey among young generation. He directed all the 13 administrative committees to speed up their preparations for the holding of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship in a befitting manner. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said 14 teams will participate in the championship. Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will field two teams each in the tournament while Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Army, HEC, Wapda and Railways will send one team each for the grand hockey event. “Sports Board Punjab will provide top standard facilities to all the participating teams during the mega event,” he added. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said the training camp of Punjab’s 37 female players is underway for the preparation of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship. “Expert coaches and trainers are imparting training to all participants of training camp at National Hockey Stadium with special focus being given to ball control, dodging, goal-scoring and physical fitness of the players”. 

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland: There may not have been any changes at the highest levels of the FIH World Rankings, but the match action at last month's Euro Hockey Championship II competitions has resulted in some climbers and fallers elsewhere. Austria men have climbed from 20th to 19th courtesy of their EuroHockey Championship II tournament victory in Gniezno, Poland, exchanging places with beaten finalists Scotland. Ireland's third place finish in that competition has resulted in a drop from 13th to 14th, while fourth placed Poland remain in 26th position. Fifth placed Italy and sixth placed Ukraine both climb one place to 22nd and 28th respectively, with seventh placed Switzerland holding onto 34th position in the rankings. Croatia's eighth place finish in Gniezno has resulted in the biggest fall, dropping from a ranking of 39 to 56. The women's Euro-Hockey Championship II took place in Prague, Czech Republic, with Belarus winning the event to retain 21st place in the FIH World Rankings. France claimed a superb second place thanks to finishing above four higher-ranked teams, seeing them end the competition one place higher than they started it, climbing from 28th to 27th. Third placed Poland and fourth placed Wales were also one-place rankings climbers, rising to 23rd and 25th respectively, while sixth placed Czech Republic have dropped one place to 24th. Seventh placed Austria remain 31st, while Lithuania's eighth place finish has resulted in them dropping from a ranking of 34 to 49. Due to a lack of match action there has been no change to the respective women's and men's top ten, where the Netherlands women and Belgium men - both gold medallists at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 sit proudly at the top of the standings. Tokyo 2020 was the first Olympic Games to take place since the introduction of the match-based rankings calculated model, which came into play in January 2020. The move away from the previous tournament-based system to one where opposing teams exchange points in official matches means that, for the first time, the results of the fixtures in Tokyo will have a direct, real-time effect on FIH World Ranking positions.  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.

SPORTS NEWS Lausanne, Switzerland (August 23, 2021):- The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to reveal the shortlists for the FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21, with players, coaches, media and fans being able to register their votes for the nominees in the respective women’s and men’s Player, Goalkeeper, Rising Star and Coach of the Year categories from today (Monday 23 August). With no Hockey Stars Awards in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 global health pandemic on the international calendar, this year’s awards cover the period from January 2020 through to the conclusion of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, meaning that the 2020-21 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League has been very much taken into consideration. In another change from the norm, the Hockey Stars Awards nominations and voting will now take place around August and September of each calendar year going forward, moving away from its traditional December-January launch period. The voting process for the FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21 will remain open until Wednesday 15 September 2021, with the winners being announced in late September / early October 2021. Votes from National Associations, represented by their respective national captains and coaches, will count for 50% of the overall result, while fans and players (25%) as well as media (25%) will make the other half of the votes. List of Awards FIH Player of the Year – Women & Men FIH Goalkeeper of the Year - Women & Men FIH Rising Star of the Year - Women & Men (Aged 21 or under on 31/12/2021) FIH Coach of the Year - Women & Men The shortlisted individuals in each category can be found below. FIH Player of the Year Awards Women: Agustina Albertarrio (ARG), Eva de Goede (NED), Agustina Gorzelany (ARG), Gurjit Kaur (IND), Frédérique Matla (NED), Maria Verschoor (NED) Men: Tim Brand (AUS), Arthur van Doren (BEL), Alexander Hendrickx (BEL), Harmanpreet Singh (IND), Jake Whetton (AUS), Aran Zalewski (AUS) FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Awards Women: Maddie Hinch (GBR/ENG), Savita (IND), Belén Succi (ARG) Men: Andrew Charter (AUS), Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh (IND), Vincent Vanasch (BEL). FIH Rising Star of the Year Awards Women: Fiona Crackles (GBR/ENG), Sharmila Devi (IND), Valentina Raposo (ARG) Men: Mustaphaa Cassiem (RSA), Sean Findlay (NZL), Vivek Prasad (IND) FIH Coach of the Year Awards Women’s teams: Alyson Annan (AUS) – The Netherlands, Mark Hager (AUS) – Great Britain & England, Sjoerd Marijne (NED) – India Men’s teams: Colin Batch (AUS) – Australia, Shane McLeod (NZL) – Belgium, Graham Reid (AUS) – India FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21 - selection and voting process Following the conclusion of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the nominee shortlist was agreed by an expert committee. This committee consisted of FIH Athletes Committee Chair Rogier Hofman, FIH Media Coordinator and journalist Sarah Juggins, Belgium Hockey High Performance Director Adam Commens (chosen for the role by his peers to represent high performance and coaching staff), as well as FIH Executive Board Member Maureen Craig-Rousseau, a member of the Jury of Appeal at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Voting Votes from National Associations count for 50% of the overall result. Each NA will be granted two votes per gender, which will come from the national team captain and head coach.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Islamabad (August 20, 2021):-The first Five-A-Side Women's Hockey Championship will be commenced from September 7 under the banner of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) at National Hockey Stadium Lahore. As many as five provincial and four departmental teams will take part in the three-day championship that will conclude on September 10, 2021. According to media spokesman for PHF, the PHF Women's Hockey Activity Event will be played from September 7 to 10 at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore. Nine teams including Punjab, Khyber Pukhtunkawa (KPK), Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad, Pakistan Army, WAPDA, Railways and Higher Education Commission (HEC) will compete for the title. Only Under-25 players will be eligible to participate in the event. Women hockey players under the age of 25 by January 1, 2021 will be able to participate in the PHF Five-A-Side Women's Hockey Championship. Each team will consist of nine players and two team officials. The participating teams have been instructed by the PHF to bring the original identification documents of the players.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Rawalpindi (August 15, 2021):-National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) overcame WAPDA on penalty shoot-outs in the final of Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup 2021 on Sunday, as the final was leveled 2-2 after four quarters game at Ayub Hockey Ground Rawalpindi. Federal Minister graced the final as chief gust and distributed the prizes among the players and officials. Teams: Pool (A): WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Pakistan Army Pool (B): National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Air Force (POA), Punjab Schedule & Results: August 8, 2021 (Day-1): WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 2-1 NBP beat Pakistan Air Force 3-2 Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum Company 2-1 August 9, 2021 (day-2) SSGC Vs Punjab 2-2 Draw Army Vs MPCL 3-3 Draw WAPDA beat Navy 1-0 August 10, 2021 (day-3) PAF beat Punjab 5-1 NBP beat SSGC 4-3 August 12, 2021 (day-4): NBP beat Punjab 6-2 SSGC Vs PAF 1-1 Navy beat Army 4-2 WAPDA Vs MPCL 0-0 August 13, 2021 (Day-5) 1st Semifinal: Pakistan WAPDA beat PAF 5-0. 2nd Semifinal: NBP beat Navy on penalty shootout (2-1) Match was leveled 1-1 after four quarters August 15, 2021 (Day-6) NBP beat WAPDA on Penalty Shootout 4-2

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Rawalpindi (August 13, 2021):-Pakistan WAPDA and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) set to meet in the final of Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup 2021 on Sunday, after beating Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Navy in the semifinals respectively under the floodlights at Mari Petroleum Astroturf Hockey Stadium Ayub Park on Friday evening. In the first semifinal, WAPDA outplayed 5-0 to Pakistan Navy, as the winners took good start and scored four goals in first quarters. Fifth goal was scored in the last quarter of the match. PAF failed to open the account despite of getting couple of penalty corners. Aleem Usman scored two goals while Ali Aziz, Mubashir Ali and Ijaz Ahmed scored each one goal. Later, in the second semifinal both teams NBP and Navy players displayed excellent skills of game and showed quality game of hockey. Navy got the lead when Akbar Ali netted the ball on the second penalty corner. They maintained the lead next two quarters. But in the last quarter Dilbar Hussain received a beautiful pass from right side by Abubakar and help NBP to make 1-1 draw. On penalty shoot-out NBP won the match 2-1. Teams: Pool (A): WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Pakistan Army Pool (B): National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Air Force (POA), Punjab Schedule & Results: August 8, 2021 (Day-1): WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 2-1 NBP beat Pakistan Air Force 3-2 Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum Company 2-1 August 9, 2021 (day-2) SSGC Vs Punjab 2-2 Draw Army Vs MPCL 3-3 Draw WAPDA beat Navy 1-0 August 10, 2021 (day-3) PAF beat Punjab 5-1 NBP beat SSGC 4-3 August 12, 2021 (day-4): NBP beat Punjab 6-2 SSGC Vs PAF 1-1 Navy beat Army 4-2 WAPDA Vs MPCL 0-0 August 13, 2021 (Day-5) 1st Semifinal: Pakistan WAPDA beat PAF 5-0. 2nd Semifinal: NBP beat Navy on penalty shootout (2-1) Match was leveled 1-1 after four quarters August 15, 2021 (Day-6) Third place match Navy Vs PAF Final NBP Vs WAPDA     

SPORTS DESK Islamabad (August 13, 2021):- FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra says in his message, “Dear Members of the global hockey community, dear hockey fans, dear all, As the Games of the 32nd Olympiad have just come to an end, I would like to share a couple of words with you to reflect on the amazing experience we’ve just been through. First and foremost, I have no words to express gratitude on behalf of myself and that of the global hockey community to the Japanese authorities, the Japanese Organising Committee and the International Olympic Committee for having, despite these unprecedented times of pandemic, successfully managed to deliver a truly magnificent Olympic Games Tokyo 2020! For these organizations to have delivered such an outstanding Olympic Games is, quite simply, a phenomenal achievement. From our side, we’ve seen top-class hockey and incredible matches, despite preparations which were made far more challenging than usual because of the COVID-19 crisis. In this regard, I’d like to thank wholeheartedly all teams for being such great ambassadors of our sport, even in such difficult circumstances. Teams from four different continents were involved in the semi-finals. This is a major step for the globalisation of our game, which is such an important factor for its development worldwide. Special congratulations to all Medallists! This achievement will embellish your lives for ever! My thanks also go to the umpires and officials. Let’s all remember that they are volunteers, who dedicate a huge part of their precious leisure time for hockey. This is out of pure passion and commitment, something I think is remarkable. Of course, I’d like to address, from the bottom of my heart, sincerest thanks to the people of Japan, and especially the volunteers. Everyone coming from abroad, from athletes to officials, have been impressed – and surely marked for ever – by their hospitality and friendliness. THANK YOU, JAPAN! Last but not least, a big thanks to all hockey fans around the world who’ve followed the matches on TV or shared posts on social media. From wherever you are, your support has been felt up to Tokyo! Of course, hockey never stops! Either now or in a few weeks’ time, you will be on the pitch again, practicing, playing competitive matches, or helping your club, your National Association, etc … And this is great! But for the moment, let’s take the time to look back, relive and appreciate the wonderful time which the Tokyo 2020 hockey events have given us.

SPORTS NEWS Lausanne, Switzerland (August 12, 2021):-Double Olympian with Great Britain’s hockey team – in 2000, where he even captained the team, and previously in 1996 – Jon Wyatt (195 international caps) joined the International Hockey Federation as Sport Director in 2018. Present in Tokyo, he gives his analysis of the Tokyo 2020 hockey events from a sport and technical perspective. What is your overall technical assessment of the hockey showcased during the Tokyo 2020 hockey events? Jon Wyatt: The level of hockey across both competitions has been consistently the highest level of tournament hockey we have ever seen. The physical strength, speed and fitness of the athletes is beyond anything we have seen before, and the way they were prepared and able to continue to play at such a high level in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees and with 85% + humidity, was amazing. The skills on show and the ability to continue to execute skills perfectly even in the final seconds of the matches again showed the level of preparation all of the teams had undergone. On top of these physical attributes, the mental strength and team togetherness shown by so many teams who came back from being behind in matches, or won matches following defeats in a previous match, showed how well prepared they were mentally as well. And all of this during the huge challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused for us all. Athletes have had to spend long periods of time away from friends and family, weeks in hotels self-isolating in order to travel, and in many cases, the usual Olympic preparation has been significantly disrupted with only a handful of preparation matches being possible in the final months. Have you noted some new trends? Or a confirmation of certain elements of the game which teams have focused upon in recent years? As athletes have got fitter and defensive structures improved, the coverage of the pitch when defending by all teams has been fantastic. The way to unlock these defenses and find space on the field by using aerial passes is a trend that has grown in recent years but was taken to a new level in this tournament. All players are able to identify space and then deliver aerial passes, eliminating defenders, sometimes over 20m-30m, and at times using up to 60m passes. The receiving of these aerial balls, by attackers and defenders alike, has also vastly improved and it is now rare to see an aerial ball not controlled by the receiver, and more common to see such a pass creating a shooting opportunity and in some cases a spectacular goal. It is often said about such events that you can’t have a 100% correct assessment of a team performance after the Pool stage because from the quarter-finals on, the context is quite different. What makes the difference in the “do or die” encounters? The format of the Olympic Games, with a Pool stage followed by a knockout stage, certainly leads to a competition of “two halves”. The Pool stages are important as they set up the potential route to a semi final and final, so finishing high up in the pool is really important. As we saw in the men’s competition, the 2 teams that topped the pools (Belgium and Australia) went on to reach the final, whereas those that did not perform to their best in the pool stages ultimately didn’t make it all the way to the final. That said, there are obviously no guarantees in the knockout stages and despite winning their pool, the Australian women came up short and lost their quarter final to the inspired Indian women’s team. We saw last minute goals and shootouts deciding which team progressed to the next round, and even for the men, the destination of the Gold medal. In the knockout stages, there are no second chances. History counts for nothing and when it comes to the top 12 teams in the world, anyone can beat anyone in a one-off encounter (as the inspirational South African men showed against Germany during the pool stage!). Teams from four different continents were involved in the semi-finals. What does it mean in terms of the globalisation of hockey? It is a brilliant outcome for hockey and shows the true international and global growth of the game. This is the first time since 1976 that 7 different countries from 4 continents have been represented in the semi-finals, and to have medalists returning to each of those continents to spread the joy of hockey can only be good for the game. At the individual club, national, continental and international level, we all now need to capitalize on these inspirational stories and teams, by providing opportunities for newcomers to try hockey and fall in love with our beautiful game. Other nations such as Japan or South Africa did not make it to the quarter-finals. However would you agree that they showed they can absolutely compete with the teams who did qualify? And if yes, why? By definition, not every team can make it to the quarter finals, but all 4 teams in each gender who did not qualify certainly showed they deserved to be in Tokyo and at times were the equal, and sometimes superior, of their opponents. The South African men’s forwards have fantastic talent, scoring 4 against the Olympic Champions Belgium and of course defeating Germany, briefly raising them into the top 10 in the World Rankings for the first time ever, and ultimately seeing them ranked 12 after the Olympic Games (up from 14 beforehand). Both Japanese teams, winners of the 2018 Asian Games, also showed moments of brilliance and more than matched the top teams in the world for long periods. As usual, a few umpiring decisions were debated. But looking at the bigger picture, what do you think about the overall performance of the umpires in Tokyo? Just like every athlete, the appointed umpires and Officials have spent years training, working and improving to become the very best hockey officials in the world. They have spent long periods of time away from their friends and family, and had to cope with the restrictions of COVID and the lack of matches to prepare in their usual way, but every one of them has shown incredible commitment and dedication to be here in Tokyo. They are all volunteers, taking time out from work and their careers to facilitate the great matches we have seen, without financial compensation and in many cases incurring significant costs to follow their Olympic dreams. The pressure to perform and the analysis of every decision they make is far greater than even for athletes, and the criticism they have to endure for even the smallest mistake tests their mental strength to the limit. There is not an athlete in Tokyo who has had a perfect competition without a mistake, and yet this is what the athletes, coaches, social media hockey fans and critics around the world expect of every umpire, in every match. Of course, that is what they strive for, but as in all sports, hockey matches cannot take place without umpires and officials, and the effort and pride each and every one of them puts into their performance is humbling to witness. They are the best in the world, and like the athletes, they deserve to be congratulated and to be rightly proud of being selected for the Olympic Games, and for their excellent performance throughout the competition. To conclude, what comments did you hear about the turf? All 4 turfs, the 2 competition pitches and the 2 training/warm up pitches, have been outstanding. They have allowed the athletes to showcase their remarkable skills and the speed of the modern game. In addition, the sustainability credentials of the turfs (made from 60% bio-plastic and requiring 40% of the amount of water that was required in previous Games), mean we can be rightly proud of contributing to the wider environmental targets of the Tokyo Olympic Games. These 4 turfs will be left in Japan as part of the hockey legacy, for the Japanese hockey community to enjoy for years to come. The final word must go to the organisers and to the army of volunteers, for whom nothing was ever too much of any ask. To have put on an Olympic Games during a pandemic, with all of the additional logistical and medical challenges this has brought, is nothing short of a miracle. And all were with a smile on their faces. To everyone involved in the organisation of the Tokyo Olympic Games and the hockey competition in particular, on behalf of the FIH and every member of the hockey family from across the globe, we say to our Japanese friends from the bottom of our hearts.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL Rawalpindi (August 12, 2021):-National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), WAPDA' Navy and PAF have confirmed their berths in the top-four stage after winning their respective matches of the Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup 2021 on Thursday at Mari Petroleum Astroturf Hockey Stadium Ayub Park Rawalpindi. The semifinals will be played on Friday at same venue. The tournament resumed after a day rest, in the only morning session competition National Bank of Pakistan ousted Punjab with a big margin 6-2. Shan Irshad was top scorer for the winners, who netted the ball twice while Abubakar Tariq, Mohid Ahmed, Abu Zar Junior and Mohammad Atiq scored each one goal. Zain Ejaz and Arsal Khan scored goal for Punjab. In the penultimate contest of the day Pakistan Navy defeated Pakistan Army 4-2, as Hammad’s last minutes a spectacular goal confirmed the lead of Navy that led the winners to the semifinals. Teams: Pool (A): WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Pakistan Army Pool (B): National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Air Force (POA), Punjab Schedule & Results: August 8, 2021 (Day-1): WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 2-1 NBP beat Pakistan Air Force 3-2 Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum Company 2-1 August 9, 2021 (day-2) SSGC Vs Punjab 2-2 Draw Army Vs MPCL 3-3 Draw WAPDA beat Navy 1-0 August 10, 2021 (day-3) PAF beat Punjab 5-1 NBP beat SSGC 4-3 August 12, 2021 (day-4): NBP beat Punjab 6-2 SSGC Vs PAF 1-1 Navy beat Army 4-2 WAPDA Vs MPCL 0-0 August 13, 2021 (Day-5) 1st Semifinal (WAPDA Vs PAF) 2nd Semifinal (NBP Vs Navy) August 14, 2021 (Day-6) Third place match Final     

SPORTS NEWS Lausanne, Switzerland (August 11, 2021):-With three gold medals (Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Tokyo 2020) to her name, Netherlands captain Eva de Goede is looking slightly shellshocked. “It hasn’t really sunk in,” she admits before the interview begins. “It has been like a whirlwind between winning the gold medal and now.” The last few days may have been a whirlwind to the 32-year-old midfielder, but to all the opposing teams who faced the Dutch on their way to the gold medal, it was more like a steam roller. Unbeaten throughout the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 women’s hockey competition, the world number one side lived up to their billing. “I can’t believe that we did it. I am very happy and proud of the way we played,” says de Goede. “The pressure was quite high for us. A lot of people expected us to win and that is not easy. But we stayed focused from the start and we played a little bit better each game and that was what we wanted. “First we had to get used to each other and get used to playing at the Olympics. We excelled through the quarter-final, semi-final and then played our best in the final.” As she compared her previous Olympic experiences, which also include a silver medal win at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, de Goede says that the first thing she noticed was the quiet in the stadium. At such a major event, the Netherlands would normally be playing in front of thousands of people, either cheering them on or cheering against them. Either way, the quiet atmosphere was unsettling. “But also,” she says, “it was very special because it was so intimate with the team. And we knew that we had the support of thousands of people around the world.” The Netherlands won the gold medal after defeating Argentina 3-1 in the final. De Goede recalls the moment the final whistle went. “It was a very special moment. I still can’t believe we actually did it. “It [the Olympic Games] took way longer than expected, so for another year and a half we had to keep pushing. And then, after all the delay, it all went by so quickly at the end.” On their return to the Netherlands, the team went straight to the beach at Scheveningen where the Dutch National Olympic Committee hosted a party for returning athletes, family and friends. “It was special that we could have a celebration even in these times,” says de Goede. Speaking about the Netherlands Head Coach, Alyson Annan, Eva said: “Alyson is so good at giving us trust and confidence that we can do it. She also gets us to talk about things. Apart from that, she is an amazing coach. Because of that, you go to the Games knowing and trusting you are fully prepared.” Fans of Dutch hockey and fans of hockey generally will be disappointed to hear that Eva de Goede has hinted that she may not be gracing the stage at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 but, if this is to be the midfielder’s last Olympics, then she can gracefully retire as a true champion at the pinnacle of her sport.