Sports Bulletin Report
Lausanne, Switzerland (November 18, 2021):-The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced that the first ever senior World Hockey 5 a side event – which was initially scheduled in September this year but postponed due to COVID-related issues – will take place on 4-5 June 2022, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Ten teams from four continents, including some of the powerhouses of international hockey, will compete:
Switzerland, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Poland (Men)
Switzerland, India, Poland, South Africa and Uruguay (Women)
Hockey5s is played with 5 athletes per team. It is particularly known for its non-stop end to end action, since the ball is in play for about 90% of a match, thanks to rebound-boards placed against the outside of the side-lines and back-lines. Furthermore, there are usually more goals with Hockey5s than with the more traditional 11-a-side format of hockey, since players can score from anywhere after the attacking line. Hockey5s is played on a smaller pitch, which enables to bring hockey to people in new and unexpected venues, sometimes even at the heart of the cities. Also, the match duration is shorter, with 2 halves of 10 minutes each.
In 2019, in order to further boost the development of hockey globally through Hockey5s, the FIH Executive Board decided to create an FIH Hockey5s World Cup - with the inaugural edition planned in 2024 - and, in the near future, a Hockey5s World Tour, which will consist of events similar to Lausanne’s.
Commenting on FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022, FIH CEO Thierry Weil stated: “It was truly heart-breaking to have to postpone the inaugural event and I’d like to extend our sincerest thanks to the local authorities, in particular the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud, for their continuous trust and support. Hockey5s is a great format to promote our sport and especially introduce it to sports fans not yet familiar with hockey. I invite everyone to come to this world event and enjoy the speed, skills and fun of our game!”
