Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): The Men’s Indoor Asia Cup 2024 came to an end over the past week with Iran claiming the title following a stunning 7-1 victory over Malaysia in the final, as both teams secured their spot at the upcoming FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2025, which will be played in Poreč, Croatia from 3-9 February 2025. 8 teams competed in the Men’s Indoor Asia Cup 2024, in Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan from 21-25 May 2024. Iran, Thailand, Singapore and Tajikistan were placed in Pool A, while Malaysia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Oman were placed in Pool B. Iran, 8-time winners of the competition, were dominant in the Pool A, winning all their matches, with Thailand finishing in second place. In Pool B, it was Malaysia in the top place, followed by hosts Kazakhstan in second. The format of the Indoor Asia Cup 2024, saw the top two teams from each pool placed into one pool, for a second round-robin stage. Iran once again topped the pool with 2 wins and a draw. Malaysia finished second with one win and two draws. As the top-2 finishers in the second round-robin phase, Iran and Malaysia qualified for the final, and with two spots available from the competition for the upcoming FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup Croatia 2025, both Iran and Malaysia had qualified for the premier indoor hockey event. The final was a stark contrast to the pool stage match between Iran and Malaysia, which had ended in a 3-3 tie. Iran showed their championship mettle to run away with the contest, scoring four unanswered goals in the opening quarter, effectively putting the result beyond doubt. The final score ended up as 7-1 in the favour of Iran, who claimed their 9th consecutive Indoor Asia Cup title and will once again be among the top teams in the World Cup, where they became the first Asian team to snag a podium place with a bronze medal in the 2018 edition, and followed it up by another bronze medal performance in the most recent edition in Pretoria 2023. 

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): The Women’s Indoor Asia Cup 2024 came to an end with Thailand claiming the title following a stunning 6-2 victory over Kazakhstan, and securing their spot at the upcoming FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2025, which will be played in Poreč, Croatia from 3-9 February 2025.As many as 9 teams competed in the Women’s Indoor Asia Cup 2024, in Chonburi, Thailand from 13-16 May 2024. Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Iran, Oman and Vietnam were placed in Pool A, while Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and Singapore were placed in Pool B.Kazakhstan, 6 time winners of the competition were dominant in the Pool A, winning all their matches, with Malaysia finishing in second place and also qualifying for the semi-finals. In Pool B, winners of the previous edition of the competition, Thailand topped the table with a run of 3 straight victories, with Indonesia finishing second in the pool and qualifying for the semi-finals. In the first semi-final, Kazakhstan faced a stiff challenge from Indonesia, with the game tied at 3-goals apiece at the end of regulation time. But the Kazakhstan’s championship pedigree came in handy as they edged past their opponents in the shoot-outs to move on to the final. They were joined in the final by defending champions Thailand, who overcame a tough test from Malaysia, winning the second semi-final by a 2-1 margin. With just one spot available at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2025, the final was a battle not just for the title and the gold medal, but also a winner-takes-all contest for a spot at the World Cup next year. While most fans anticipated a closely fought affair between the two top teams in the competition, the final unfolded very differently. Thailand were dominant in attack and watertight in defence, securing a huge 6-2 win to claim their second consecutive title at the Women’s Indoor Asia Cup and qualifying for their first ever FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup! Coach of the title winning Thailand team, Esfandyar Safaei, spoke with us after the tournament and said, “Really happy with this victory and upon qualifying for our first ever FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. This is a busy year with the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in November, which we will use to prepare for the Indoor World Cup in Croatia in February 2025 and hopefully get the best result any Asian team has achieved in the competition.”

Lausanne, Switzerland (PR): The Indoor Pan American Cup 2024 came to an end on 22 March with Argentina men and USA women winning the gold medals and securing their spot at the FIH Hockey Indoor World Cups 2025. With a second available slot in the men’s competition, Trinidad & Tobago, winners of the silver medal at the competition also joined Los Leones in qualifying for the World Cup. In the men’s competition, Argentina, USA, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Canada competed in the league stage. Argentina topped the group, winning all four matches, followed by USA in second with three wins and a loss. Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana also qualified for the semi-final finishing third and fourth respectively. Argentina dominated Guyana in the first semi-final, winning 10-0, with Gaston Rodriguez and Elen Eleicegui scoring hat-tricks, sealing a spot in the final as well as gaining them entry into the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2025. USA and Trinidad & Tobago played in a thrilling 11-goal thriller in the second semi-final with the Caribbean nation edging the tie and qualifying for their third ever FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. In the women’s competition, United States, Argentina, Canada and Uruguay competed in the league stage. United States went unbeaten in the league stage, winning all three of their matches, with Argentina finishing second, Canada in third and Uruguay in fourth. United States won the first semi-final 5-0 against Uruguay securing a spot in the finals, while Argentina beat home team Canada 6-2 in the second semi-final. The finals saw USA take on Argentina in a repeat of the opening match of the tournament, where USA dominated Argentina with a 7-1 win. With a place in the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2025 up for grabs for the winner of the finals, a much closer encounter unfolded. USA took an early 2-goal lead, but throughout the game the lead changed hands multiple times and at the end of regulation time, both sides were tied at 5 goals each, resulting in a shoot-out. USA were perfect in the shoot-out winning 3-2, grabbing the gold medal and securing the only available slot from Pan America, at the FIH Indoor Hockey Women’s World Cup 2025.

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): On the field and off the field. As players, coaches, umpires and administrators. On this International Women’s Day 2024, a year where the International Hockey Federation (FIH) celebrates its centennial, we focus on eight women who have been leading the way over the past few decades, and creating a blueprint for success that will benefit the generations to come, as they look to these role models and follow in their footsteps.In the field of hockey administration and the move towards attaining complete gender equity, Marijke Fleuren is a towering figure in international hockey. As a former member of the FIH Executive Board, member of the IOC Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commission and Honorary Life President of EuroHockey, Marijke has had a storied career in hockey administration. We spoke to Marijke as she discussed her Journey of Passion, Equality, and Family.In the field of umpiring and umpire management, Marelize de Klerk brings with her an unparalleled level of experience, with nearly three decades spent officiating hockey at the highest level. We spoke to Marelize as she shared her unique path towards first playing hockey and then umpiring, which began with a chance incident, all the way back in 1994!When it comes to achieving phenomenal success as a player and a coach in hockey, a scarce few can rival the storied career of Alyson Annan. A winner of 2 Olympic Gold medals and 2 FIH Hockey World Cup titles as a player, to go with a 2 Olympic medals (1 gold, 1 silver) and a World Cup title as a head coach, Alyson shared with us her journey in hockey and the advice she would give to those aiming to follow in her footsteps.As an administrator in Hockey, Els van Breda Vriesman’s achievements are unparalleled. Els was the first - and so far only - female president of the International Hockey Federation (2001-2008) and brought with her decades of experience as a sports administrator and a former member of the International Olympic Committee. Els shared with us her journey starting as a junior national hockey player for the Netherlands to becoming the President of FIH.Indian goalkeeper and captain Savita is already a modern day great and the reigning three-time FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Award winner. Her stardom is a shining beacon for girls and women in her native India, showing them the path towards achieving their sporting dreams. We spoke to Savita as she spoke of the important role a family plays in helping an athlete achieve their complete potential.Subarna Shreshtha was recently elected Secretary General of Nepal Hockey Association, and long-term administrator with the Asian Hockey Federation. As a fan of hockey since her childhood, Subarna grew up in Nepal with limited opportunity to play the sport. She spoke to us about the work she is doing to make sure those opportunities are available for the next generation to play the game at the highest level.Sarah Wilson had a promising career in hockey derailed by a back injury as she was representing Scotland internationally in the under-21 category. But with a strong will to remain associated with hockey, and able guidance Sarah turned to umpiring and has since gone on to have a fabulous career with the whistle, and will soon umpire at her third Olympic Games in Paris 2024! Sarah spoke with us to share her journey and the team she has found within the hockey umpiring community, that she can’t imagine living without.Luciana Aymar is largely considered one of the best players to ever pick up a hockey stick. With 4 medals at the Olympic Games and 4 World Cup medals, Luciana had a long and storied career, which also included winning a record 8 FIH Player of the Year awards. We spoke to Luciana as she shared the story behind her stardom and how she believes the sporting community can further embrace gender equality.FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “With global participation in hockey being 51% female and 49% male, hockey can pride itself of being a gender-equal sport on the field of play. However, we still have efforts to make. And even more so off the field of play.The FIH Statutes do stipulate that half of the Ordinary Members of the Executive Board MUST be women. That is good, but numbers are not what impacts most. For a sustainable outcome, we need, together with the National Associations, to develop capacity-building for women and empower women. And it’s my personal wish that leadership programmes shall be introduced at youth level as well.Furthermore, men MUST stand for women! This is critical. Gender equality cannot be an objective initiated or led by women only! Gender equality will only be reached if men do commit to and act in favour of it! I therefore appeal to all my male colleagues – within hockey but also sport and society at large - to become active advocates of inclusion and determined leaders in mindset changing.Throughout all our events and activities, and with the support of our Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee chaired by Marijke Fleuren, we will ensure that gender equality not only prevails but keeps on improving in everything we do.”

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Oldenzaal Hockey Club aka Billy Club of Netherlands have won the thrice match tie 2-1 after beating the hosts Higher Education Commission (HEC) hockey team on a penalty shoot-out 4-3, as the score-line was 1-1 after all 4 quarters at Nasser Bunda Hockey Stadium Islamabad on Friday.Both teams started the match at a bit slow pace and were looking defensive, however, after a few minutes, players showed nice game skills and attacked the goalposts but could not score a goal. In the 11th minute, Mubasher scored a field goal and put the hosts in a 1-0 lead. He received the pass from the right side and diverted the ball into the goal without wasting a fraction of a second.The HEC team upheld the lead till the end of the third quarter. However, in the 52nd minute Dutch player Niels Engberink leveled the match 1-1 after scoring a goal on a penalty corner. The scoreboard remained unchanged 1-1 till the final whistle. Each side was given 5 penalty shoot-out to get the results of the 3-match tie.Mattis Barttelink, Ruben Kattier, and Leen Timmers scored goals for the Dutch Club while Jan Willem Wunbergen and Niels Engberink failed to score goals. Ali Murtaza and Mubasher showed excellent stick work and pushed the ball into the net but the other three lads including Ahmed Raza, Mohammad Zain, and Shaheer Ali missed the goals.The diplomats from various countries watched the match along with Olympians, sports enthusiasts, and university students from twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Ambassador of Dutch to Pakistan, Henny de Vries, the Australian High Commissioner, Neil Hawkins, Acting Ambassador of Romania to Pakistan, Eduard-Robert Preda, Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan, Totuiaev Ulanbek Asankulovich, the High Commissioner-designate of Brunei Darussalam, Colonel (Retd) Pengiran Haji Kamal Bashah and Ambassador of Morocco to Pakistan and Dean of the African Corps Mohammed Karmoune were present on occasion.

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The OHC Bully Hockey Club, Netherlands is due to arrive in Lahore on February 18 (Sunday) to play three friendly games in Lahore and Islamabad during a week-long visit aiming to make efforts to restore the prestige of the national sport.The Oldenzaal Hockey Club (OHC) “Bully”, commonly known as OHC Bully will visit Pakistan on an invitation of Khawaja Junaid Hockey Academy (KJHA) and will play three games in all with two at the historic National Hockey Stadium, Lahore, and one at the Naseer Bunda Stadium, Islamabad. The Bully hockey club will play games against Higher Education Commission (HEC) hockey team picked from the Prime Minister’s Youth Talent Hunt Program.The OHC Bully’s visit is historic in the sense that it is after a long interval of 22 years that a European hockey club will visit Pakistan and the Bully’s visit is one of the small steps towards the goal of revival of hockey. The visit may also encourage other European hockey clubs to visit Pakistan every year during the winters.Former Olympian Khawaja Junaid said that he was thankful to the OHC Bully for accepting the invitation to visit Pakistan for friendlies, adding that Khawaja Junaid Hockey club was committed to revive of hockey by nurturing talent at the grass-root level.Khawaja Junaid further said that he was not only grooming the raw hockey talent through coaching from the tender age of seven years, adding that the HEC team was picked was selected by him after trials of 25000 budding players under the Youth Talent Hunt Program.Acknowledged the role of former hockey Olympian Fareed Ahmed, who happens to be the coach of OHC Bully, in arranging the visit to Pakistan, he said “I am also connecting with the outside world to provide the right exposure to these young lads at an early age.” He said this will be a discovery visit for the youth being foreign to Pakistan’s rich hockey traditions and hospitality, expressing the hope that Pakistan will become an annual rendezvous for the European clubs and teams.The former World Champion Khawaja Junaid further said field hockey comes to a standstill during the harsh winters in Europe and European clubs visit the nearby countries like Spain to play hockey, adding that it is the time when the European teams may be invited to make Pakistan their destination as the country boasts of a mild weather during this period.Responding to a query, he said visit of a European hockey club will also help in promoting country’s tourism through sports, adding that this is also a good opportunity for showcase cultural heritage and historical ancestry to the world. Khawaja Junaid also shared that OHC Bully is almost a century-old club which was founded in 1935.Khawaja Junaid thanked Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar and Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed for their support in making this visit of a European hockey club possible. 

Abubakar Mahmood and Abdul Rehman score goals on Penalty Corners for PakistanSports Bulletin ReportMuscat (Oman): Pakistan overpowered China 2-0 in their second fixture of the Paris Olympic Hockey Qualifier 2024 in Muscat on Tuesday night. Pakistan will face Malaysia in their last pool match on January 18 at the same venue.On Tuesday, Pakistan defeated China by two goals in their second pool match, as Abu Bakr Mehmood and Abdul Rehman scored the goals on penalty corners for Pakistan in the third and fourth quarters respectively. Midfielder Abubakar Mehmood was declared man of the match.In the 42nd minute of the third quarter, Pakistan's player Abubakar Mahmood scored a goal and put the Green Shirts in a lead of one goal on a penalty corner. In the 51st minute of the game, youngster Abdul Rahman scored the first international goal of his career through a penalty corner to consolidate Pakistan's lead.

Germany, New Zeeland, and China post victories on the opening dayMohammad Waqas ISLAMABAD: England outclassed Pakistan 6-1 in their opening contest of the Paris Olympic Hockey Qualifier on Monday night.Great Britain rounded out the day’s action from Oman with a professional display with 6 goals against a youthful Pakistan. Ranked 4th in the World, GB held their opposition at arms length throughout the contest - winning every quarter - and while Pakistan grabbed a late consolation, the game ended 6-1. Olympic qualifying got underway in Oman with a comfortable 9-0 win for Germany. In Martin Zwicker’s 300th appearance the world number 5 ranked side had too much for Canada, scoring freely throughout the quarters with little resistance. New Zealand got their campaign underway with 3 points against Chile, in Kane Russell’s 200th appearance. A fast start for the Black Sticks saw them 2-0 up after the first quarter, adding a field goal in the 3rd quarter. Chile fought until the end - grabbing a consolation in the dying moments of the tie.Pool A action got underway in stunning fashion, with China upsetting the odds with an eye-catching win over Malaysia. Despite Malaysia taking the lead in the second quarter China rallied to lead 2-1 heading into the final quarter. Just as it looked as though the sides would share the points after a Malaysia equaliser, Gao Jiesheng took full advantage of a penalty corner and won it for China 3-2 in the dying moments of the game. 

Imad Shakeel Butt to lead Pakistan: Green Shirts need to stand on podium to go ParisAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: The National Selection Committee (NSC) of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced an 18-player team for the upcoming Paris Olympics Qualifier, which will take place from January 15 to 21, 2024, in Muscat, Oman.Acting head of the NSC Nasir Ali Khan unfolded the squad after the approval of president PHF Tariq Hussain Masuri Bughti after analyzing the performance of players after conducting a day of trials at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad on Tuesday.It is pertinent to mention here that the head of NSC, Olympian Kaleem Ullah could not arrive here owing to the bad weather and the flight was not available. The other members of the NSC were Olympians Nasir Ali, Rahim Khan, and Leaque Lashari International.Head Coach Shahnaz Ahmed Sheikh said: “We had to submit the names of players according to the rules of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and we selected the best squad for an international hockey fixture. We picked up 10 players from the juniors’ team which participated in the recently concluded Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023 in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, as this team is a blend of rising young talented lads and experienced. Our team will not only qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024, will also claim the top position in the Muscat tournament”.Tariq Hussain Masuri Bughti said: “We selected the players entirely on merit and our players will perform up to mark in Oman. I congratulate new captain Imad Butt and all the selected players and hope they will toil hard to achieve their target to confirm the berth in Paris Olympics 2024. Players, who cannot get a place in the national squad should not worry, they will get other occasions soon, and I hope our players will produce notable and sparkling performances. Our aim is only to hoist the green flag in hockey areas of the world”.Imad Shakeel Butt said: “This is a great honour for me to lead the national hockey team and I and my all teammates will work hard in the field to overcome the opponents. We will try our level best to produce acceptable performance in the Paris Olympics Qualifier, which will roll into action on January 15 and Pakistan will face England in their opening match of the international hockey showpiece”.Names of selected players (18): Imad Shakeel Butt (Captain), and Abu Bakr Mahmood (Vice Captain), Abdullah Ishtiaq, Waqar, Arbaz Ahmed, Mohammad Abdullah, Sufiyan Khan, Murtaza Yaqoob, Abdul Mannan, Aqeel Ahmed, Moeen Shakil, Salman Razaq, Abdul Hannan Shahid, Ghazanfar Ali, Abdul Rahman Junior, Zikriya Hayat, Rana Abdul Waheed Ashraf, Arshad Liaquat.Team Management: Head Coach Shahnaz Sheikh, Coach Shakil Abbasi, Assistant Coach Olympian Dilawar Hussain, Goalkeeper Coach Amjad Ali, Physiotherapist Waqas Mahmood, and Physical Trainer Mohammad Imran Khan.

Abdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Former captain of national Pakistan hockey team, goalkeeper and Olympian Ahmed Alam has said that the federation politics ruined the national game in the country and players should not be involved in the federation’s affairs.While talking to Editor www.sports-bulletin.com during an exclusive sitting here at a local hotel Pak-Punjb, Ahmed Alam lamented over the declining standard of the national game hockey in the country. “The inside politics of the federation is hurting the game of hockey and unfortunately we have involved the players too in the dirty politics. At least players should not be a part of this thing. If an official is replaced with another one, one who comes changes the team’s players. This is not good for hockey, “he said.“There is a musical-chair game in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and one goes, another comes and one who goes out starts leg pulling. At present, the federation has adopted the policy to adjust the people, who criticize the top officials of the federation. You can compromise with 15 to 20 men but this is not a good approach. We should bring merit to the federation first and other things will run smoothly automatically. Merit in the PHF is important to put the national game of hockey on the right track, “he elaborated.Former captain further said that no doubt the foreign coaches always produced remarkable results and it might be more fruitful after engaging them with the juniors and rising players. “There must be criteria of coaches. We should give qualified coaches assignments at national level then budding hockey lads learn better and basics of hockey. Also, the government should provide financial assistance to the Pakistan hockey federation. Finances are the fundamental need to run sports and you cannot compromise on it. Players must be facilitated, “he said.Regarding a question about the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023, Ahmed Alam said he could not blame anyone. “Our boys did well in the pool matches against Holland, Belgium and New Zealand but unfortunately owing to lack of international exposure and experience our players failed to overcome heavyweights Spain in quarterfinal despite displaying excellent skill of hockey. Our goalkeeper Abdul Rafay saved over half a dozen goals during the first thirty minutes of the game. Because of pressure and inexperience he conceded the goals on penalty corners, “he asserted.“We will have to strengthen hockey at gross-root level, especially departmental hockey to boost the standard of the game at domestic level. The future of the hockey players must be safe and secure. They must be provided job opportunities and other facilities. At the school and colleges level hockey sticks should be provided free and there should be players’ cotta in admissions. We will have to make joint efforts with the support of the government to take the national game on peak once again. All ex international Pakistani hockey players should play their role in the promotion of the national game hockey and for raising the green flag at the international hockey stadiums, “he concluded.