Sports Bulletin

SPORTS NEWS Lausanne, Switzerland (July 8, 2021):- The Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has appointed Spain as the host country for the inaugural FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup which will take place in Valencia from 10 to 17 December 2022. By doing so, the EB has followed the recommendation of the Task Force Events Bidding, which comprises of EB Members of all five Continental Federations. The aim of this new yearly event is to offer a top-level competition to the best-ranked teams not participating in the FIH Hockey Pro League and give the winning team the option to be promoted to the FIH Hockey Pro League the next season, precisely. Therefore, the FIH Hockey Nations Cup marks the start of the promotion-relegation principle for the FIH Hockey Pro League, with the winning team of the first FIH Hockey Nations Cup having the chance to be promoted to the 2023/24 FIH Hockey Pro League (provided they meet the necessary requirements for it). The following eight teams will participate in the very first edition, having qualified based on their position in the FIH World Rankings of 31 May 2021: Spain, Canada, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea and South Africa. FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “On behalf of FIH, I’d like to thank wholeheartedly the Royal Spanish Hockey Federation for hosting this inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup, a new competition in our portfolio which will bring further excitement to our sport. Nothing less than a place within the FIH Hockey Pro League is at stake. This promises to generate great and hard-fought matches between excellent teams! That is really good for the growth of our sport worldwide.” “We are very happy that the FIH has given us the organization of the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup. Another great women's hockey event that we will be able to organize in our country. We are proud to be the chosen ones and we are very grateful. It is an opportunity for the women's team to qualify for the FIH Hockey Pro League and, like the men's team, play this great hockey competition", said Santiago Deó, President of the Royal Spanish Hockey Federation.

SPORTS NEWS Lausanne, Switzerland: Upon recommendation from the Task Force Events Bidding (comprising of EB Members of all five Continental Federations), the Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has appointed Malaysia as the host country for the 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup and Chile for the 2023 FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup. The matches will be played in Kuala Lumpur and Santiago, respectively. The FIH Junior Hockey World Cup is the flagship event for under-21 players and involves 32 of the world’s best national teams (16 Men's and 16 Women's teams). FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “The FIH Hockey Junior World Cup is the perfect platform for young players to unleash their skills onto the international hockey scene. It’s a stepping stone for athletes in their development to senior international hockey. Our thanks go to Malaysia and Chile. We’re privileged to rely on these experienced host countries and we’re looking forward to magnificent FIH Hockey Junior World Cups in 2 years time!”. "While hosting a tournament is always a big responsibility, in Chile we have always seen it also as a development opportunity to showcase world-class Hockey at the highest level at home in front of our fans, sponsors and media. Bringing Hockey's global finest athletes to Chile will surely become an inspiration for many more young boys and girls to start trying hockey as their sport, making hockey actually bigger in Chile and our region of the Americas”, said Walter Krämer, President of the Chile Hockey Federation. “The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) is thrilled to have won the bid to host the 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup tournament. For Malaysia and this region in particular, the Junior World Cup will be a catalyst for the growth and development of the sport amongst youngsters. Over the next two years, MHC will invest in the necessary resources and work closely with all relevant parties including the Government of Malaysia, FIH and various stakeholders to ensure the event is an overwhelming success”, said Dato Seri Subahan Kamal, President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (May 22, 2021):-A comprehensive 5-1 victory over the USA means Great Britain have moved to fifth in the FIH Hockey Pro League with a 51 per cent win rate. The USA remained in ninth position, with one match left to play [against Great Britain]. Great Britain women started strongly as they sought to impose themselves early on an USA team still smarting from their double defeat at the hands of Belgium the previous weekend. A driving run by Lily Owsley in the opening minute won her team a penalty corner but Kelsey Bing, in the USA goal, was alert to the danger. The next 14 minutes followed a similar pattern, with the Great Britain midfield and attackers probing and pushing for a breakthrough. That breakthrough eventually came in the 15th minute. The USA gave away possession in the centre of the pitch to Lily Owsley. She slipped an unselfish pass to Isabelle Petter, who shot home past Bing. Prior to that, there had been some promising signs for the Great Britain team that players were finding their connections as Susannah Townsend, Sarah Jones and Owsley all combined well to create a number of chances. Despite some spirited defending and some strong individual runs from the hard-working USA players, it was Great Britain who scored the second goal. It was Petter again who found the back of the net. It was a goal that had been coming: the Great Britain midfield were finding their connections with increasing regularity and creating all sorts of problems for their opponents. Petter’s second goal came from a penalty corner – Grace Balsdon’s strike was deflected by the midfielder past Bing. In the second half, Great Britain began to turn the screw on their opponents, pressuring the goal and forcing the USA deeper into their defensive half. The pressure was rewarded when a pass from Player of the Match Fiona Crackles found Sarah Robertson, who was able to slot the ball home. The fourth goal came from a penalty corner strike by Anna Toman. The initial shot was helped on its way by the outstretched stick of Nicole Woods. The fifth goal came as the space opened up across the pitch as the USA went in search of a goal. Great Britain were able to take advantage of the gaps and Elena Rayer was on hand to shoot home after good build up play by Laura Unsworth and Sarah Jones. The USA scored a consolation goal when Kelsey Briddell flicked the ball high past Hinch after a penalty corner shot rebounded freely into the circle. While Great Britain will be pleased with the result, the fact that they had 23 shots, 10 penalty corners and 46 circle entries will be of concern to the Head Coach and his team. Speaking at half time, Head Coach Mark Hager had called on his players to make the most of the opportunities they were creating. Player of the Match Fiona Crackles said: “We are just super happy to get so many goals. Normally we have a lot of near misses. We had real fire in our belly. We have been working hard on being ruthless. "It's great seeing things that we are doing in training coming together in the matchplay." Captain of the USA, Amanda Magadan: "Great Britain put out a good hockey performance but we gave a few things to them as well. It is good to be able to put the ball in the back of the net. "Just being able to build on our game from Belgium. We need to take away the positives but also take the harder feedback to. Great Britain are one of the best in the world, so that is who we want to play."

SPORTS REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland (May 22, 2021):-The 47th FIH Congress session, where hundreds of delegates from all over the world gathered in virtual forum to discuss important matters regarding the global status and development of hockey, has ended with various crucial decisions. In the closest of votes, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra of India was re-elected as President of the FIH, being awarded a second four-year term. Of the 124 votes submitted by member National Associations, Dr Batra attained the required absolute majority of more than half the votes, receiving 63 votes to the 61 given to Marc Coudron of Belgium. Dr Batra will hold the position until 2024. “I would personally like to thank all of the National Associations for showing faith in me by electing me for a second term as President of FIH”, said Dr Batra, who congratulated Marc Coudron on his campaign. “I pledge my assurance to you all that I will work towards my election priorities over the next three years.” In addition to Dr Batra’s re-election, Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy were both re-elected to the FIH Executive Board as women’s members. Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy received 70 and 66 votes respectively, just ahead of Inez Cooper who received 63 votes. Tayyab Ikram and Erik Cornelissen were re-elected unopposed to the FIH Executive Board as men’s members. In the President’s Report to Congress, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra detailed the efforts made by the FIH since the previous 46th FIH Congress that took place in New Delhi, India in 2018, referring to the launch of various new events including the FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Nations Cup and FIH Hockey5s World Cup as well as the approval of the eight-year global hockey calendar. Dr Batra also talked about the progress made in terms of development, promotion – in particular the success of the Watch.Hockey app -, governance and sustainability, referencing the commitment to develop a water-less turf for hockey in the years ahead.    In his report, FIH Chief Executive Officer Thierry Weil highlighted the 225 courses that had been organised by the FIH Academy over the past year and the 50 projects completed through the Olympic Solidarity scheme. With 2 million USD invested, development remains top priority for the world governing body. Additionally, the State of the Game survey revealed that global participation had risen from 29.6 million to 30.1 million, with fantastic growth being achieved in ParaHockey / Hockey ID, where participation has doubled thanks to support from the Continental Federations (CFs) and National Associations (NAs) The significance of the FIH Hockey Pro League and Hockey5s were also raised, with Thierry Weil stating that the former is well on its way to fulfilling its mission to promote hockey worldwide despite the challenges of the COVID-19 global health pandemic, while the latter will mark itself as a wonderful ‘entry gate’ to the sport that will serve to complement – not replace – the 11-a-side and indoor formats. The rise of E-sports and gaming was also flagged by the FIH CEO as an area for potential expansion in the future. The FIH Financial Report was also submitted to Congress and subsequently approved. The significant investment made into the launch of the FIH Hockey Pro League resulted a loss of 1.5million CHF for the 2019 edition, with 2020 breaking even. Due to signed contracts in place, both the 2021 and 2022 editions of the FIH Hockey Pro League are set to achieve profitability. Signed contracts for the next Women’s and Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup events in 2022 (Women – Spain & The Netherlands) and 2023 (Men - India) are set to generate around 7million CHF in profit for FIH. The financial statements for 2018-2019 were prepared by auditor Ernst & Young, which was re-appointed by Congress for the coming period, and circulated to all NAs and CFs ahead of Congress. The Congress approved applications for membership from three National Associations, with Timor Leste Hockey Federation, Hockey Association of Gambia and Saudi Arabian Hockey Federation all being accepted after the Executive Board expressed its satisfaction that their applications met the requirements of the Statutes. Congress approval means that the number of Member Associations of the FIH has risen to 140. A vote on the admission as FIH Member of a new National Association in Indonesia, which is recognised by the Indonesian NOC, was unable to proceed as Congress did not ratify the decision to expel the current National Association, which had not fulfilled their obligations. The Congress ratified some amendments to the FIH Statutes, including the use of gender-neutral terms throughout the Statutes themselves, as recommended by the Women in Sports Committee’s review of the FIH Gender Equality Policy. In anticipation of future virtual competitions or activities, E-Games were also added to the Statutes in order to extend FIH’s purpose and powers. The subscription system to the FIH, which remains unchanged to previous years, was also ratified by Congress. In line with the existing FIH Statutes, the appointment of George Bennett as the President of the FIH Judicial Commission – a group of legal advisors that acts as mediator in FIH legal matters – was ratified by Congress. George Bennett has held the position since 8 May 2020, taking over the role following the sad passing of previous incumbent Annabel Pennefather, one of many whose memory was honoured by a moment of silence at the start of session. While the vast majority of the FIH Award winners were revealed on Friday, the FIH President’s Awards – which are given to individuals for long and valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect – were saved for the Congress session itself, with 10 awardees being revealed. Pawan Munjal: Joined Hero Honda Motors in the early 1980s and took over as Managing Director of Hero Honda Motors in 2001, successfully overseeing the company's transition from Hero Honda to Hero Motocorp in 2011. Francesco Ricci Bitti: An Italian sports administrator and former President of the International Tennis Federation, Francesco Ricci Bitti was a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations Council and is the current President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. Maureen Craig-Rousseau: Joined the FIH Executive Board in 2014 and has over 30 years experience serving the sport in various administrative roles, being Director and Vice President of the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) and a hugely experienced Tournament Director and Technical Official. Shri. V Karthikeya Pandian: Private Secretary of the Chief Minister of Odisha, the Indian state that has and continues to be a huge champion of the sport of hockey. Yoshida Motohito: Known as the father of Japanese hockey, Yoshida Motohito is the Honorary President of Asian Hockey Federation as well as being a former Chair of the AHF Promotion Committee and former President of Japan Hockey Association. Nii Quaye-Kumah: A well respected Technical Official from Ghana, Nii Quaye-Kumah has been active at numerous world level events down the years, who has also had a distinguished period of service with Ghana Hockey.  David G Collier: An English sports administrator in hockey and cricket, David G Collier is a former international umpire and respected Technical Delegate who was the Chair of the FIH Rules Committee until this Congress, when the term of office ended. Roger St-Rose: A former Trinidad & Tobago international player, umpire and Umpires Manager, Roger St-Rose has also been on various FIH and PAHF Officials committees in the latter part of his 40+ year involvement in the sport. Bob Claxton: The Secretary General and Treasurer of the Oceania Hockey Federation, the Australian has a 60+ year association with the sport and has been instrumental in the growth of hockey in the Pacific Island region. Kim Myung Sung: An Executive Board member of Asian Hockey Federation and Chairman of AHF Governance Panel and member of the AHF Finance committee who is also vice president of the Korean Hockey Association.   There was also a special honour for Dr Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who was the recipient of the FIH President’s Award for Peace and Friendship.  “This award belongs to the whole of the IOC and the entire Olympic movement, because without the support of so many, the achievement of peace and friendship in sport could never be accomplished”, said the IOC President, in a specially recorded acceptance video.  “The purpose of the IOC was always to promote peace and friendship through sport. It remains the overarching mission of the IOC and the Olympic movement to this very day. We can only make the world a better place through sport if we care for one another through solidarity. This is why I would like to thank the FIH and the hockey family across the globe for demonstrating that solidarity runs strong in our Olympic community.” In a separate message recorded to mark the start of the 47th FIH Congress, Dr Bach described the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as being “the light at the end of a very dark tunnel”, whilst also praising the efforts of the FIH Hockey Pro League to show that international sporting fixtures can be staged safely in these difficult times.  Closing the 47th Congress, re-elected FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra thanked everyone who took part in the 47th Congress, stating: “Although we have been unable to meet in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, I still believe through your support we have been able to have a successful Congress. I offer my congratulations to the re-elected members of the FIH Executive Board and wish them well for the next term. I would like to place on record my gratitude to all hockey stakeholders, including commercial partners, sponsors and broadcasters, media, press, athletes, teams, coaches and especially volunteers, who are the backbone of hockey.”

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (March 26, 2021):-While the COVID-19 global health pandemic continues to impact sporting competitions all over the world, FIH Hockey Pro League matches will take place early in April, with the national teams of Argentina welcoming Germany (men & women, 3-4 April) and India (men, 10-11 April) for some potentially thrilling clashes in Buenos Aires. In the men’s League, Argentina is currently ranked 6th, just behind India (5th) and Germany (4th). India and Germany have played six matches so far, Argentina eight. In the women's League, Argentina are second with eight matches played to date, while Germany is 7th having played only four matches. Although the fans will not be allowed into the stadium itself due to the strict health and safety protocols being followed, the matches will be available to watch via television or digital streaming thanks to our broadcast partnerships.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (March 19, 2021):-The Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) approved an 8-year global hockey calendar establishing dates and windows for FIH and Continental Federations’ events, as well as multi-sport events where hockey is included. This is a major step and long-awaited document which shall help scheduling competitions in a coordinated manner worldwide, for the benefit of all hockey stakeholders – FIH, Continental Federations, National Associations and also clubs. The dates for the first four years (2021-24) are final, while the next cycle (2025-28) is currently in draft and will be confirmed on an annual basis, at least 4 years in advance to assist all involved in hockey globally to plan their activities. The EB also confirmed the match schedule for the next FIH Hockey Pro League season (2021-2022). From that season on, matches will be played between October and June of the following year, within specific windows as detailed in the above-mentioned global hockey calendar. Europe’s qualification process for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain & Netherlands 2022 and the FIH Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup India 2023 has been amended: For the Men, the 7 European participating teams will be determined as follows: The top 5 teams from the Euro Hockey Championship 2021 will qualify 2 teams will qualify from the European World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2021 (this event will comprise teams ranked 6-8 in the Euro Hockey Championship 2021 and teams ranked 1-5 in the Euro Hockey Championship II 2021) For the Women, beyond both hosts (Spain and the Netherlands), the 4 other participating teams from Europe will be determined as follows: The top 3 teams - not including Spain or the Netherlands - from the Euro Hockey Championship 2021 will qualify 1 team will qualify from the European World Cup Qualifying Tournament 2021 (this event will comprise the 3 lowest ranked teams - not including ESP and NED - in the Euro Hockey Championship 2021 as well as the teams ranked 1-5 in the Euro Hockey Championship II 2021) Furthermore, the EB has confirmed that FIH will organise its first ever senior World Hockey5s event on 11 and 12 September 2021, in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 2019, in order to further boost the development of hockey globally through Hockey5s, the EB had decided to create an FIH Hockey5s World Cup - with the inaugural edition planned in 2023 - and, in the near future, a Hockey5s World Tour, which will consist of events similar to the Lausanne’s one. More information about this event will be communicated shortly. In order to shape the future sustainability strategy of hockey around the world, FIH has decided to create a Sustainability Task Force which will be responsible for setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and measuring performance, including publishing a biennial Sustainability Report to be presented to the FIH Congress as well as to the wider sporting community. It will include representatives from National Associations, athletes, officials, event organisers and suppliers as well as external experts. FIH EB Member and Oceania Hockey Federation President Clare Prideaux has been appointed Chair of this Task Force.

SPORTS REPORT LAHORE (January 15, 2021): Sports Board Punjab (SBP) in collaboration with Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) will organize First Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Division Hockey Championship here at National Hockey Stadium from Jan 23 to Feb 5, 2021. This important decision was taken during a meeting held between Director General Sports Punjab Adnan ArshadAulakh and PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa at National Hockey Stadium on Friday. Director Admin Javed Chohan and head coach of national hockey team Olympian Khawaja  Junaid were also present during the meeting. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh and PHF delegation discussed all the administrative issues of the upcoming First Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Division Hockey Championship during the detailed meeting. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh, on this occasion said that teams from all nine divisions of the province will participate in the grand championship. “Sports Board Punjab is fully cooperating with PHF for the revival of hockey which happened to be Pakistan’s national game,” he added. PHF Secretary Olympian Asif Bajwa thanked Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh for making effective efforts for the revival of hockey. “We will continue to join hands for this great task and we are hopeful that Pakistan will regain its lost glory in hockey in near future,” he added. Later, PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa and head coach of national hockey team Olympian Junaid also presented a bouquet and congratulated Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh on his promotion.  

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (December 22, 2020):-As we approach the end of a challenging year, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) can confirm that Belgium men and the Netherlands women will finish 2020 sitting top of the FIH World Rankings. In January, FIH introduced its new match-based model for the calculation of the FIH World Rankings, with the FIH Hockey Pro League matches that were played in early part of the year seeing regular fluctuations in the standings before the COVID-19 global health pandemic brought the competition and all international hockey to a standstill in March. The brief but wonderful return of the competition between September and November saw further exchanges of points between the men’s and women’s national teams of Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Great Britain. The Netherlands (2631.99 points) are 457 ranking points ahead second placed Argentina (2174.61) at the top of the women’s FIH World Rankings, with Germany (2054.28) occupying third position, climbing one place following their FIH Hockey Pro League results against Belgium in September. Australia (2012.89) finish the year in fourth place, with England / Great Britain (1952.74) and New Zealand (1818.98) fifth and sixth respectively. Spain (7th place - 1802.13), Ireland (8th place - 1583.09), India (9th place – 1543.00) and China (10th place – 1521.00) complete the top ten. In the men’s FIH World Rankings, reigning world and European champions Belgium (2496.88 points) sit at the summit in front of 2019 FIH Hockey Pro League winners Australia (2nd place - 2385.70), Netherlands (3rd place – 2257.96) and India (4th place – 2063.78). Olympic champions Argentina (1967.39) are in fifth, followed by Germany (6th place – 1944.34), England / Great Britain (7th place – 1743.77), New Zealand (8th place – 1575.00), Spain (9th place – 1559.32) and Canada (10th place – 1417.37). 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. While the impact on the number of international matches being played in 2020 was dramatically reduced due to the pandemic, FIH Sport and Development Director Jon Wyatt felt the new approach to the FIH World Rankings was having a positive impact.  “Clearly with so few matches played this year compared to what we would expect in any normal year, the movement in rankings, now that we are using a match-based system, was not as great as it will be”, said Wyatt. “However, even in the limited number of matches that were played we saw the system working well, with points being exchanged that resulted in some movement up and down the rankings table after each match. We are all looking forward to seeing the dynamism of the system working to its full potential once the complete programme of international matches restarts again, so that the rankings will reflect the current form of each team. Let’s hope that’s not too far away.”

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (November 17, 2020):-National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern, Pakistan WAPDA and Pakistan Navy reached into the semifinals of the ongoing 66th National Hockey Championship 2020, as the semifinal would be played on Thursday at Ayub Park Hockey Ground Rawalpindi. NBP will take on Sui Southern in the first semifinal of the top national hockey fixture while Pakistan WAPDA will meet Pakistan Navy in the second semifinal, as the final will be played on Friday as same venue between the winners of both semifinals. On Tuesday, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Punjab, WAPDA and Sui Southern have won their league matches after beating their respective opponents. Results (Day-9):- Game 1: Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum 1-0 Ali Sher (1)                                                                                                                                                       Game 2: Pakistan Air Force beat Pakistan Police 4-1 PAF: Mohammad Rizwan (2), Umer Mustafa (1), Abdul Rehman (1) Police: Abdul Ahad (1) Game 3: Punjab beat Port Qasim 3-0 Punjab: Mohammad Zain (1) Mohammad Ammar (1), Hanan Khan (1) Game 4: Pakistan WAPDA beat National Bank of Pakistan 2-1 WAPDA: Tausiq Khan (1), Mohammad Sohail (1) NBP: Mohammad Abu Bakar Game 5: Sui Southern beat Pakistan Army 1-0 Sui Southern: Zeeshan Ali (1)  

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (November 14, 2020):-Pakistan Navy thrashed Pakistan Police 7-1 in the second match of the day seven of the 66th National Hockey Championship 2020 at Ayub Park Hockey Ground Rawalpindi on Saturday. Ali Sher, Mohammad Imad and Mohammad Sowair scored each two goals for the Pakistan Navy while Mohammad Haris scored single goal. Results (Day-7): Game-1: Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) beat Port Qasim Authority (PQA) 4-2 MPCL: Mohammad Umair (1), Mohammad Wasim (1), Owais Ahmed (1), Mohammad Arbaz (1) PQA: Mohammad Abu Zar (1), Mohammad Taha (1)    Game-2: Pakistan Navy beat Pakistan Police 7-1 Navy: Ali Sher (2), Mohammad Imad (2), Mohammad Sowair (2), Mohammad Haris (1) Police: Mohsin Khan (1) Game-3: Pakistan WAPDA beat Pakistan Air Force (POA) 1-0 WAPDA: Salam Razzak Game-4: Punjab beat Pakistan Army 3-2 Punjab: Owais-ur-Rehman (2), Hanan Ahmed (1) Army: Ali Haider (1), Mohammad Afzal (1) Game-5: National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) vs SSGPL (0-0)