Sports Bulletin

FIH unveils new World Ranking system for 2020 SB Report Lausanne, Switzerland:- Following 12 months of painstaking research, analysis and testing, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to reveal details of the new FIH World Ranking system that will be employed from 1 January 2020. The fresh approach – which has been approved by the FIH Executive Board – sees a switch from the existing tournament-based World Rankings to a more dynamic, match-based system, one which is designed to increase opportunities for all National Associations to gain rankings points and also provide a better reflection of current performance. The outgoing FIH World Ranking system has served the sport since 2003, being originally devised to allocate teams into pools at tournaments. The old model operated well on various levels, ranking the top teams who participated in FIH and Continental events with a good level of accuracy whilst also allowing those nations to earn ranking points two to three times per year. However, the numerous restrictions of the tournament-based system – including the limited opportunities for lower-ranked teams to earn points, the degree of subjectivity required to determine the relative strengths of the five continents in order to calculate continental ranking points, and the fact that over 60 percent of international hockey matches had no ranking points on offer – have provided an ever-strengthening case for a change of approach. The new match-based World Ranking system involves an exchange of points between the two teams competing in each FIH-sanctioned match played. In short, the number of points exchanged depends on a trio of factors: the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match. As well as the aforementioned increased opportunities to earn points, the new model removes much of the subjectivity surrounding continental weighting by creating a system which is fair to all, whilst also encouraging the playing of international matches. The decision to introduce a new World Ranking system comes at the end of a year-long trial period. Using every official international match played since the end of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a working model of the new system was created, allowing for constant monitoring, assessment and adjustment throughout 2019. The results of the test phase indicated that the new system was more dynamic and immediately reflective of current form than the existing World Ranking system and was subsequently approved by the FIH Executive Board.  The introduction of the new system for calculating the FIH World Rankings will not affect the current placements – each nation will start 2020 in the same ranking position and with the same number of ranking points that they finished with in 2019.

Celebrating the people behind the scenes SB Report Lausanne, Switzerland: They are the team behind the team, the ones that get things done. Quietly, efficiently and without ever stepping in the limelight, thousands of people play their part in making sure that our sport appears in its very best light. On 5 December, FIH is joining the United Nations and many other organisations in celebrating International Volunteer Day. In highlighting the work of the men, women and young adults who willingly give up hours of their time across all aspects of the sport, we are also reminding ourselves to stop and thank people on a regular basis. It is also worth considering all the many roles within hockey that are filled by volunteers. The most visible are the umpires and tournament officials who leave their families and take time off work to make sure that international events are run smoothly and efficiently. From the tournament director and umpire manager through to the umpires and technical officials - the third team are all volunteers. 

Hockey goes into the blue for World Children's Day SB Report Lausanne, Switzerland:  Federation of International Hockey (FIH) is throwing its full support behind World Children’s Day by encouraging hockey communities across the world to don blue kit as they take part in hockey activities. Unicef’s World Children’s Day is a global day of action for children’s rights. Among the many celebratory activities taking place around the world, children will be taking over high visibility roles in sport and the media and participating in national summits, where they will discuss the issues of today and the future. With the colour blue symbolising World Children’s Day, famous landmarks around the world will light up in blue to show support for children’s rights. FIH is encouraging hockey groups in schools and colleges and national associations to get behind the movement. They can do this by running tournaments, matches or other hockey-related activities, or simply by putting on some blue kit and supporting World Children’s Day.

National Junior’s Hockey Championship from December 5, 2019 SB News LAHORE:-As a part of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Development Plan to groom our coaches and technical officials, a series of clinics are being organized on regular basis. In this regard, the National Coaches Course will be held at Lahore in conjunction with 36th National Junior Hockey Championship, which will be held from December 5 to 8, 2019 National Hockey Stadium Lahore. The course will be conducted by Khawaja Mohammad Junaid coordinated by Nadeem Khan Lodhi as Local Coordinator. The course because of importance will be more intensive and formal as National Course will be certified under the supervision of PHF.  The following should report to Kawaja  Junaid at National Hockey Stadium, Lahore on 5th December.  Ajmal Khan Lodhi (Sialkot), Rana Zaheer Ahmad Babar (SSGC), Waseem Ahmad (WAPDA), Kamran Ashraf (PIA), Mohammad Khalid (PIA), Mudassar Ali Khan (WAPDA), Zeeshan Ashraf (NBP), Mohammad Imran (MPCL), Syed Sameer Hussain (Karachi), Khawar Javaid (Gojra), Waqas Sharif (WAPDA), Mohammad Usman (PIA), Mohammad Ali (Customs), Muhammad Naeem (Customs), Asim Khan (NBP), Mohammad Sarwar (ABL), Rehan Butt (WAPDA), Muhammad Saqlain (ABL), Qamar Ibrahim (PIA), Zahid Afzal (ABL), Nasir Ahmad (PIA), Asif Ahmad Khan (NBP).

FIH announced Men’s and Women’s world cup venues SB Report ISLAMABAD[November,11,2019]:-Lausanne, Switzerland: The Federation of International Hockey (FIH) Executive Board (EB), chaired by FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, held its 2-day meeting of the year on November 8 and 9, 2019 at its offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, where it selected India to host the 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup (13-29 January 2023) and Spain and the Netherlands to co-host the 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup (1-17 July 2022). Furthermore, the EB discussed a wide range of topics including: Hockey5s In order to further boost the development of hockey globally through the promotion of its 5-a-side format, “Hockey5s”, the EB has decided to create a FIH Hockey5s World Cup, with the inaugural edition planned for 2023. Continental Hockey5s tournaments will be organized and act as qualifiers. 16 teams per gender will take part in the first FIH Hockey5s World Cup. FIH Hockey Pro League The EB received a detailed report on season 2019 and the ongoing preparations for the second season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, which will start on 11 January 2020 with the 2019 Women’s League winners, the Netherlands, playing China away. This second season of the annual global League involving hockey’s best national teams in the world, Men and Women, welcomes another powerhouse of international hockey, India (in the Men’s League). Also, it includes a new match schedule which will reduce the travel of the teams by half, therefore decreasing costs for teams, benefitting athletes’ welfare and reducing the impact on the environment. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers The EB expressed its full satisfaction with the format of the recently completed FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers and outlined the great moments of hockey, the attendances and the audiences. It also reiterated its full support to the FIH Umpires and Officials as publicly mentioned by FIH CEO Thierry Weil earlier. FIH Intercontinental Cup In order to promote competition between teams from different continents every year, FIH will be launched in 2021 an annual event for the highest ranked teams not competing in the FIH Hockey Pro League. It will be an 8-team tournament in a single venue for each gender. The competing teams will be invited based on the FIH World Rankings at the end of the previous year’s FIH Hockey Pro League. From 2022, the FIH Intercontinental Cup champion will be promoted to the following year’s FIH Pro League to replace the bottom team who will be relegated. FIH World Rankings As announced by the EB in March, on 1st January 2020, the FIH will launch a new match-based FIH World Rankings system. This new system will: Increase opportunities for all National Associations to gain ranking points Accurately reflect current performance Provide weekly rankings and live narrative to every official match with the impact of the result on the world rankings table being known immediately Remove subjectivity and create a system that is fair to all without the need for Continental weightings Encourage playing official international matches Encourage targeting the highest profile tournaments for best performance Provide the opportunity for all nations who play international matches to have a world ranking Ranking points will be exchanged between the competing teams in every official international match recorded on the FIH Tournament Management System. The number of points exchanged will depend on the result of the match (win, lose, shootout win/loss or draw), the relative difference in ranking points between the teams before the match and the importance of the match (part of a major tournament or a one-off test series, for example). A more detailed explanation will be published towards the end of this year.

Last six tickets to Tokyo 2020 secured on final day of FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD:-The sixth and final day of the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers has drawn to a close, and the final six tickets to Tokyo 2020 have been claimed. New Zealand's men booked a safe passage through to next year's Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 thanks to a 3-0 victory over Korea in Stratford. Great Britain's women claimed a 2-1 win over Chile in the second match of the day, a result which gave them a 5-1 victory on aggregate to keep alive the dream of successfully defending the Olympic title that they won at Rio 2016. Later in the day, Great Britain's men joined their women on the plane to Tokyo thanks largely to Alan Forsyth, who bagged a hat-trick as the hosts won 5-2 against Malaysia on the day and 9-3 on aggregate. Germany's women also booked their place at Tokyo 2020 with a dominant and impressive 7-0 win over Italy. The earlier game had seen Die Danas run out as slightly more tentative 2-0 winners, but the 9-0 aggregate score underlined their superiority over the lower-ranked European neighbours. Germany's men followed up their 5-0 first leg win over Austria on Saturday with a 5-3 triumph in Sunday's second game to earn their Olympic berth.  The final ticket to Tokyo 2020 was dramaticaly claimed by Ireland's women at Dublin's Energia Park, with the hosts claiming a 4-3 shoot-out victory over Canada in front of 6000 enthralled fans. The Green Army - silver medallists at least year's Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup London 2018 - trailed 3-1 in the shoot-out before staging a remarkable comeback before winning in sudden-death to achieve Olympic qualification for the first time in their history. Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 4, Korea 0 (New Zealand win 6-2 on aggregate) Goals from Stephen Jenness, Sam Lane and Russell Kane gave New Zealand men a 3-0 triumph over Korea in Stratford (NZL) to secure a place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The Black Sticks came into the contest knowing that a draw would be good enough to seal Olympic qualification thanks to their narrow 3-2 win in the first leg on Saturday. However, open play strikes from Jenness - who scored twice in Saturday's win over Korea - and Lane in the second quarter put the 1976 Olympic champions on course for victory before Kane's third quarter penalty corner goal put the contest beyond the reach of the visitors. Korea piled on the pressure in the final quarter, but the Black Sticks held their nerve to book a 13th appearance on the Olympic stage. London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 2, Chile 1 [Great Britain win 5-1 on aggregate] Reigning Olympic champions Great Britain defeated Chile for the second time in two days, with Sunday's 2-1 triumph being coupled with a 3-0 success on Saturday to create a comprehensive 5-1 aggregate score-line at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. Mark Hager's team did all of the damage in the first quarter, with Tessa Howard and Laura Unsworth both scoring superb backhand goals to all but guarantee a place at Tokyo 2020. Great Britain were perhaps guilty of wastefulness in front of goal for the remainder of the match, with Chile netting a consolation goal thanks to Fernanda Villagran's well taken penalty corner effort.   Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 7, Italy 0 (Germany win 9-0 on aggregate) Three goals in the space of eight minutes was enough to put an early damper on the Italian threat and send Germany women on their way to a dominant 7-0 victory. Added to their 2-0 win from the previous day, the aggregate 9-0 score underlines Die Danas' Olympic ambitions. The goals came from Cecile Pieper (2), Elisa Grave (2), Lena Micheel, Pia Maertens and Player of the Match Nike Lorenz. Italy fought hard but they found the German defence impenetrable and once the German's had the ball, their attacking movements were sharp, instinctive and precise. London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 5, Malaysia 2 (Great Britain win 9-3 on aggregate) Thanks to a 4-1 victory in the Saturday's first leg, Great Britain's men brought a healthy advantage into their second match against Malaysia and quickly added to their aggregate tally with two goals in the first period. Alan Forsyth put GB ahead from the penalty spot with his 100th international goal (Scotland and Great Britain combined) before Sam Ward added a brilliant second, catching veteran Malaysia goalkeeper Kumar Subramiam off-guard with an unexpected shot from a tight angle. Fitri Saari pulled a goal back for Malaysia in the second quarter before Ward slammed home a penalty corner early in the third period. Razie Rahim's penalty corner rocket reduced GB's match-day lead to 3-2 before Forsyth put the result beyond all doubt, sliding home from open play before completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot to give his side a richly-deserved place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 3 (Germany win 10-3 on aggregate) The teams went into this game with different agendas. Germany's interim Head Coach Markus Weise wanted a stronger performance from his team, while Austria's Head Coach Tomasz Szmidt asked his players to play for their own honour. In the end, both teams will have positives. Germany scored five top class goals, all created from fast, slick passing moves and finished with style. Austria, for their part, took the game to their much higher-ranked rivals and scored three penalty corners – all from the stick of Michael Körper. The result gives Germany the chance to build on their Olympic medal tally of 11 medals, four of them gold. Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland 0, Canada 0 (Ireland win 4-3 on shoot-out) For the second day in succession, over 6000 people packed into Dublin's Energia Park to witness Ireland's women take on Canada, and the home fans certainly went home happy. Following on from Saturday's score-less first leg, both teams showed a real determination to settle this contest in regular time, but excellent defending meant that the Olympic ticket would be decided by a shoot-out. It all seemed to go wrong for the home team, who found themselves facing heartbreak as Gillian Pinder and Roisin Upton failed to convert while Stephanie Norlander, Amanda Woodcroft and captain Kate Wright all scored to give Canada a seemingly unassailable 3-1 advantage. However, Ireland's never-say-die spirit once more came to the fore, with goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran keeping Brienne Stairs and Shanlee Johnston off the score-sheet while sensational finishes from Ireland's Beth Barr and Chloe Watkins sent the shoot-out into sudden-death. Roisin Upton then put the Irish ahead with another wonderful finish before McFerran denied Woodcroft, giving Ireland an incredible victory and triggering scenes of utter joy in the stadium. It was a heartbreaking defeat for Canada, who matched their higher-ranked opponents throughout but fell just short in the shoot-out.      How Olympic qualification works: The winners will be determined as follows: teams will be ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated in both matches (for each match, 3 points are awarded to the winner, 1 point to each team in the event of a draw and 0 point to the loser). If there is equality among the two teams, then the teams will be ranked according to their respective goal difference. If the equality remains, a shoot-out competition will be played to establish the winner. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers Friday 25 October 2019 - Day 1 Results Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 0, Belgium 2 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 3 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 1 (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 26 October 2019 - Day 2 Results Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 2, Belgium 0 (Match 2 of 2) Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 5, Russia 0 (Match 2 of 2) Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 4, Pakistan 4 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 2 (Match 2 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 0 (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3, Ireland 5 (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 27 October 2019 - Day 3 Results Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 6, Pakistan 1 (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3 Ireland 1 [5-4 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2) Friday 1 November 2019 - Day 4 Results Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 5, USA 1 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 2 November 2019 - Day 5 Results Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 2 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 1, USA 4 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 3, Chile 0 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 7, Russia 1 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 2, Italy 0 (Match 1 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 4, Malaysia 1 (Match 1 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 0 (Match 1 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 3 November 2019 - Day 6 Results Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 0 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 2, Chile 1 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 7, Italy 0 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 5, Malaysia 2 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 3 (Match 2 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland 0, Canada 0 [4-3 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2)

Tokyo Olympics 2020 Hockey Qualifier  ISLAMABAD:-Six first-leg matches took place on Saturday, with New Zealand’s men earning a narrow 3-2 win over Korea in Stratford while the men’s and women’s teams of both Germany and Great Britain all claimed what could vital victories. The women of Ireland and Canada were also in action, playing out a draw at the Energia Park in Dublin to leave the tie finely balanced.  FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers: Day 5 – Saturday 2 November 2019 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 2 (Match 1 of 2)   A thrilling first leg fixture saw New Zealand (FIH World Ranking: 9) twice lead thanks to two goals from Stephen Jenness only for the visitors Korea (WR:16) to draw level on each occasion through Lee Namyong's open play effort and a penalty stroke from Jang Jonghyun. The teams were all square at 2-2 going into the fourth and final quarter before the Black Sticks snatched a winner, with Simon Child firing home a field goal to give the hosts a slender advantage over Korea going into the second leg on Sunday.   Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 1, USA 4 (India win 6-5 on aggregate)  A remarkable first half performance saw USA (WR:13) cancel out India's (WR:9) 5-1 aggregate lead by scoring four times without reply to tie the match at half-time. Amanda Magadan netted two superb goals with team captain Kathleen Sharkey and Alyssa Parker also on target as the visiting Americans overwhelmed their opponents with a scintillating display. Following some half-time words of guidance from head coach Sjoerd Marijne, India were vastly improved after the break as both teams chased the goal that would send them to Tokyo. The winner arrived 12 minutes from time thanks to a terrific finish from India captain Rani Rampal, who fired high into the net after a goal-mouth scramble. USA almost pulled off a miracle in Bhubaneswar, but it is India who claim the ticket to next year's Olympiad.  London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 3, Chile 0 (Match 1 of 2)  A goalless first half saw both Great Britain (WR:5) and Chile (WR:18) probing and testing each other’s defences. GB, the defending Olympic champions, broke the deadlock early in the second half with a well-taken goal from Isabelle Petter. This was followed by goals from Hannah Martin and Anna Toman, two players who put in excellent performances in this first of two matches. Chile made their own chances, including several penalty corner attempts, and captain Camila Caram said her team would be looking to capitalise on any scoring opportunity in the second leg tomorrow (Sunday 3 November)..  Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 7, Russia 1 (India win 11-3 on aggregate) Home favourites India (WR:5) endured a difficult start to their second leg match, with Alexey Sobolevskiy scoring just 25 seconds into the contest and moving Russia (WR:22) to within one goal of their opponents. Despite the early set-back and their aggregate lead cut to 4-3, India bounced back in style to overpower the Russians and secure their berth at Tokyo 2020. The hosts scored three times in the second quarter thanks to Lalit Upadhyay – who was celebrating his 100th international cap today – and a double from Akashdeep Singh, putting the hosts into a 3-1 lead on the night and 7-3 on aggregate. The Russian goal was breached on four occasions after half time, with Nilakanta Sharma, Rupinder Singh (2) and Amit Rohidas confirming that the eight-times Olympic champions will indeed be present at Tokyo 2020.  Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 2, Italy 0 (Match 1 of 2)  Germany (WR:4) came into their all-European encounter with Italy (WR:17) as heavy favourites but needed to show a degree of patience against a side that defended valiantly. Die Danas were guilty of missing a host of penalty corner chances before eventually getting the opening goal through Hannah Gablac, who fired home at the second attempt following good build-up play from Nike Lorenz and Cecile Pieper. Lorenz netted Germany's second goal in the final minute, converting her team's 11th penalty corner of the match. Italy will feel rightly buoyed by today's performance and know that Germany's two-goal advantage is not insurmountable.   London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 4, Malaysia 1 (Match 1 of 2)  The opening half of this match saw Malaysia (WR:11) take an early 1-0 lead and dominate the proceedings with their speedy attack and great possessive play. However, Great Britain (WR:7) weathered the storm and kept the deficit to just the one goal. The second half was a reversal of form, with Great Britain playing attacking, fast-paced hockey. Goals for Sam Ward, Phil Roper, Alan Forsyth and James Gall puts Great Britain 4-1 up going into the second leg on Sunday.  Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 0 (Match 1 of 2)   Following a cagey opening, Germany (WR:6) took a 1-0 lead against Austria (WR:20) with their first penalty corner thanks to a low drag-flick from Lukas Windfeder before two goals in the second quarter put Die Honamas firmly in control. Constantin Staib showed quick hands to score from close range before a stunning solo effort from Christopher Rühr - who ran half the length of the field before producing an emphatic finish - established a 3-0 lead at half time. Germany dominated throughout the third and fourth quarters, with Florian Fuchs and Timur Oruz completing the scoring as the four times Olympic gold medallists took complete control of the tie.     Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland 0, Canada 0 (Match 1 of 2)  Two evenly matched teams played out the first goalless draw of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in front of a rain-sodden but vociferous crowd in Dublin. Ireland (WR:8) had the major share of possession and more scoring chances but Canada (WR:15) weathered the attacks and created their own opportunities in the second half. Both team captains, Katie Mullan of Ireland and Kate Wright of Canada have promised their teams have plans to break the deadlock in upcomimg crucial deciding match.  How Olympic qualification works: The winners will be determined as follows: teams will be ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated in both matches (for each match, 3 points are awarded to the winner, 1 point to each team in the event of a draw and 0 point to the loser). If there is equality among the two teams, then the teams will be ranked according to their respective goal difference. If the equality remains, a shoot-out competition will be played to establish the winner.  FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers Results Saturday 2 November 2019 - Day 5 Results Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 2 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 1, USA 4 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 3, Chile 0 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 7, Russia 1 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 2, Italy 0 (Match 1 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 4, Malaysia 1 (Match 1 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 0 (Match 1 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 1 of 2) Upcoming fixtures Sunday 3 November 2019 - Day 6 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Korea (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain v Chile (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany v Italy (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain v Malaysia (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany v Austria (Match 2 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 2 of 2)

Netherlands and Canada qualify for Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 SB Report (October 28, 2019) ISLAMABAD:-The men's international teams of the Netherlands and Canada have both secured their tickets to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, overcoming the respective challenges of Pakistan and Ireland in the two-game FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers. The Netherlands proved too strong for Pakistan in the second leg of their Olympic qualifier, with the Dutch powering to a 6-1 triumph over the Green Shirts to confirm their place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Saturday's first leg finished with the scores locked at 4-4, but the 1996 and 2000 Olympic gold medallists produced a sparking display in the second game to guarantee a 19th Olympic appearance at the expense of Pakistan, the 1960, 1968 and 1984 Olympic champions. Canada's place at next year's global showpiece in Japan was secured in dramatic circumstance in Vancouver. Ireland came into the contest with a 5-3 aggregate lead from the first match, but a last second penalty stroke from Scott Tupper gave the Canadians a 3-1 win in the second leg to force a shoot-out in which the Canadians emerged as winners. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers: Day 3 – Sunday 27 October 2019 Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 6, Pakistan 1 (Match 2 of 2) ? The day's action began in front of a capacity crowd at Amsterdam's world-famous Wagener Stadium, where the men of the Netherlands (FIH World Ranking: 3) and Pakstan (WR:17) faced each other in a winner takes all encounter. Pakistan sensationally defied both the odds and the FIH World Rankings by coming within seconds of beating their illustrious opponents in front of their home fans, but Mink van der Weerden's last-gasp penalty corner tied the match at 4-4. However, there was to be no repeat performance, with the Netherlands producing a sensational display of attacking hockey to over-run the Green Shirts and seal their place at Tokyo 2020 at the expense of their opponents.  The Netherlands sparkled in the first half, opening up a thoroughly deserved 4-0 lead at the break. Bjorn Kellerman and Mirco Pruijser both netted stunning backhand strikes, while Mink van der Weerden bagged a brace with a penalty stroke and a penalty corner. Goals from Terrance Pieters and Jip Janssen after the break put the result beyond all doubt, before Pakistan's Rizwan Ali scored a late consolation goal.   Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3, Ireland 1 [5-4 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2) ? A 5-3 victory in the first game meant that Ireland started today's second match with a two goal aggregate advantage, a lead that was quickly extended when John McKee put the Green Machine 1-0 up in the sixth minute. Canada's Olympic dream appeared to be fading, but goals either side of half time from Gordon Johnston and Oliver Scolfield put the hosts within one goal of levelling the aggregate score. Ireland kept the home team at bay until the final second of the fourth quarter when a penalty stroke was awarded, with Canadian captain Scott Tupper showing the calmest of heads to fire into the bottom right corner to tie the aggregate score at 6-6, triggering a shoot-out for the Olympic ticket.  Misses from Canadian pair Sukhi Panesar and Keegan Pereira helped Ireland to establish a 3-1 lead before Michael Robson and Shane O'Donoghue failed to convert, leaving the shoot-out score locked at 3-3 going into sudden death. A mistake from Ireland's John McKee gave Adam Froese the opportunity to seal victory and he made no mistake, finding the target to send Canada to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.  FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers – Day 1 Results Sunday 27 October 2019 - Day 3 Results  Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 6, Pakistan 1 (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3 Ireland 1 [5-4 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2) Upcoming fixtures Friday 1 November 2019 - Day 4 Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India v USA (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India v Russia (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 2 November 2019 - Day 5 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Korea (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India v USA (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain v Chile (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India v Russia (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany v Italy (Match 1 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain v Malaysia (Match 1 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany v Austria (Match 1 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 3 November 2019 - Day 6 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Korea (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain v Chile (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany v Italy (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain v Malaysia (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany v Austria (Match 2 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 2 of 2)

SB Report ISLAMABAD:-The second day of action in the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers saw four teams book their tickets to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, with Spain's men and women joining the women of Australia and China at next year's global showpiece in Japan. More information about today's matches can be found below.  FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers: Day 2 – Saturday 26 October 2019 Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 2, Belgium 0 [2-1 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2) A breathless final five minutes of action at the Wujin Stadium in Changzhou saw China (FIH World Ranking: 10) reel back a 2-0 deficit at the hands of Belgium (WR:12) to bring the aggregate score over two matches to 2-2. Head Coach Huang Yongsheng removed his goalkeeper Li Dongxiao with six minutes left to play and the tactic paid handsomely as the China side won a penalty stroke and followed up immediately with a second goal. Gu Bingfeng and Llang Meiyu were the respective goal-scorers. Player of the Match, Li, then pulled off some great saves to ensure her team won the shoot-out and progressed to their ninth successive Olympic Games. Belgium, who took a 2-0 lead in the first game and defended staunchly for most of the second game, will be devastated at missing out on an opportunity to return to Olympic action for just a second time in their history (London 2012 was the Red Panthers' only Olympic appearance). Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 5, Russia 0 (Match 2 of 2) Three time gold medallists Australia (WR:2) will be chasing the medals at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 after they put in a devastating first half stint against a beleaguered Russia (WR:19) to emerge 5-0 winners in their second match. The result means the Hockeyroos were 9-2 winners on aggregate. Australia clinically dispatched the lower-ranked team, largely thanks to a five minute patch at the end of the second quarter which brought forth four goals. Goals were scored by Grace Stewart, Mariah Williams, Sophie Taylor, Emily Chalker and Kalindi Commerford. Russia for their part will be delighted to have kept a clean sheet in the second half.  Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 4, Pakistan 4 (Match 1 of 2) ? Pakistan (WR:17) were denied a famous victory over the Netherlands (WR:3) by Dutch penalty corner ace Mink van der Weerden, who scored a dramatic late equaliser as the two teams finished with the score locked at 4-4. In a remarkable contest at the Amsterdam's Wagener Stadium, Pakistan silenced the home crowd thanks to an early penalty corner effort from Mubashar Ali before the Dutch hit back though Mink van der Weerden's penalty stroke and a glorious backhand strike from Bjorn Kellerman. However, penalty corner efforts either side of half time from Ghazanfar Ali and Muhammad Rizwan swung the match back in Pakstan's favour at 3-2. Robbert Kemperman pulled the Netherlands level in the fourth quarter before Mubashar Ali scored his second of the game to put Pakistan into a 4-3 lead with just two minutes remaining. Van der Weerden had the last laugh, however, rescuing a point for the hosts with a superb penalty corner drag-flick to set up a winner takes all encounter when the two teams meet again on Sunday.  Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 2 (Match 2 of 2)  Spain's men (WR:8) became the third team of the day to secure Olympic qualification, battling to a 3-2 victory over France (WR:12). Following their thrilling 3-3 draw on Friday, it came as little surprise that the second meeting between the two teams was equally close. France took an early lead thanks to a wonderful individual effort from Gaspard Baumgarten before Miguel Delas and Alvaro Iglesias gave Spain a 2-1 lead. Francois Goyet levelled matters for France in the 39th minute, but it was Xavi Lleonart's penalty stroke a minute later which proved decisive, giving Spain a ticket to Tokyo ahead of a France team that battled every step of the way. Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 0 (Match 2 of 2)  Spain (WR:7) women joined Spain men on their journey to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 when they beat Korea (WR:11) 2-0, building on the 2-1 victory they posted the previous day. Goals from Begona Garcia and a penalty stroke from Lola Riera sealed the victory for the Red Panthers. Korea had plenty of opportunities to reduce the deficit, winning seven penalty corners. However good goalkeeping from Maria Ruiz kept the Asian team's efforts from registering. The result means Spain will compete in their seventh Olympic Games. For Korea, this will be their first absence from an Olympic Games since 1988.  Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3 Ireland 5 (Match 1 of 2) ? The final game of Day 2 saw Canada (WR:10) taking on Ireland (WR:12), and it was the visiting Europeans who emerged with a 5-3 victory over the host nation. Sean Murray and Shane O'Donoghue scored two goals apiece as Ireland overcame the home favourites, leaving Canada needing a comprehensive victory when the two sides meet again on Sunday if they are to take the Olympic ticket.  How Olympic qualification works: The winners will be determined as follows: teams will be ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated in both matches (for each match, 3 points are awarded to the winner, 1 point to each team in the event of a draw and 0 point to the loser). If there is equality among the two teams, then the teams will be ranked according to their respective goal difference. If the equality remains, a shoot-out competition will be played to establish the winner. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers – Results Friday 25 October 2019 - Day 1 Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 0, Belgium 2 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 3 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 1 (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 26 October 2019 - Day 2   Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 2, Belgium 0 (Match 2 of 2) Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 5, Russia 0 (Match 2 of 2) Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 4, Pakistan 4 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 2 (Match 2 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 1, Korea 0 (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada v Ireland (Match 1 of 2) Upcoming fixtures Friday 1 November 2019 - Day 4 Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India v USA (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India v Russia (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 2 November 2019 - Day 5 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Korea (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India v USA (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain v Chile (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India v Russia (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany v Italy (Match 1 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain v Malaysia (Match 1 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany v Austria (Match 1 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 3 November 2019 - Day 6 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Korea (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain v Chile (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany v Italy (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain v Malaysia (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany v Austria (Match 2 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 2 of 2)    

SB Report  ISLAMABAD-The FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers got off to a flying start on Friday (25 October), with the women's teams of Australia, Belgium and Spain all victorious in their respective matches to move one step closer to securing berths at next year's Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.   In the first of the two-leg ties, Australia beat Russia 4-2 in Perth before Belgium recorded an impressive 2-0 away win against China. Spain's women were also winners, edging past Korea 2-1. In the men's qualifiers, Spain and France played out a thrilling 3-3 draw, leaving their two-leg tie finely balanced. RESULT: Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Australia (FIH World Ranking: 2) claimed a 4-2 victory against Russia (WR:19) in the opening match of the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers, but certainly did not have it all their own way. The Hockeyroos opened up a 2-0 lead inside the opening two minutes thanks to poacher's goals from Emily Chalker and 17-year-old attacker Amy Lawton, as the hosts threatened to run riot. However, Russia captain Bogdana Sadovaia dragged her team back into the contest with an eighth minute field goal before Alina Khalimova's superb penalty corner deflection seven minutes after half time restored parity at 2-2. Australia were not to be denied, however, with Grace Stewart and a second for Chalker giving the home favourites both a 4-2 victory and a strong advantage ahead of the second meeting between the two teams on Saturday.  RESULT: Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 0, Belgium 2 (Match 1 of 2) Belgium (WR:12) took a 2-0 lead in their opening match against China (WR:10) courtesy of strikes at both ends of the game. Jill Boon opened the scoring in the second minute of the match and Stephanie Vanden Borre gave her side an invaluable 2-0 lead in the 58th minute. While the Red Panthers have an undoubted advantage going into the second of two matches on Saturday, China will be pulling out all the stops to attempt to turn the scoreline around. The hard-working trio of Zhang Jinrong, Ou Zixia and Peng Yang caused plenty of problems for the Belgium defence and, as Player of the Match Anne-Sophie Weyns made clear, this is only the half-way point in this Olympic qualifier. RESULT: Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 3 (Match 1 of 2) Spain's men (WR:8) were forced to fight back from 3-0 down before salvaging a 3-3 draw against a France (WR:12) team that impressed greatly in a thrilling contest at Valencia's Estadio Betero. Victor Charlet, Gaspard Baumgarten and Amaury Bellenger all netted in the second quarter before Xavi Lleonart pulled a goal back from the penalty spot just before half time. Veteran striker Pau Quemada netted penalty corner efforts in the third and fourth quarters to ensure that the points were shared, meaning that Saturday's second meeting between the two teams is very much 'winner takes all'.  RESULT: Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 1 (Match 1 of 2) Spain's women (WR:7) claimed a deserved 2-1 victory over Korea (WR:11), but were certainly forced to do it the hard way. Jang Heesun put Korea ahead with a 19th minute penalty corner, a strike that was cancelled out thanks to a diving finish from Belen Iglesias just four minutes later. Lola Reira scored the winning goal with a penalty corner drag-flick in the 39th minute, giving Spain a slender advantage over the Koreans going into tomorrow's second leg. How Olympic qualification works: The winners will be determined as follows: teams will be ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated in both matches (for each match, 3 points are awarded to the winner, 1 point to each team in the event of a draw and 0 point to the loser). If there is equality among the two teams, then the teams will be ranked according to their respective goal difference. If the equality remains, a shoot-out competition will be played to establish the winner. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers – Day 1 Results Friday 25 October 2019 Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 0, Belgium 2 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 3 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 1 (Match 1 of 2) Upcoming Fixtures Saturday 26 October 2019 - Day 2 Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China v Belgium (Match 2 of 2) Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia v Russia (Match 2 of 2) Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands v Pakistan (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain v France (Match 2 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain v Korea (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada v Ireland (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 27 October 2019 - Day 3 Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands v Pakistan (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada v Ireland (Match 2 of 2) Friday 1 November 2019 - Day 4 Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India v USA (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India v Russia (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 2 November 2019 - Day 5 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Korea (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India v USA (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain v Chile (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India v Russia (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany v Italy (Match 1 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain v Malaysia (Match 1 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany v Austria (Match 1 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 3 November 2019 - Day 6 Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand v Korea (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain v Chile (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany v Italy (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain v Malaysia (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany v Austria (Match 2 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 2 of 2)