Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): The best young Pan American hockey teams, in both men’s and women’s category, competed in the Junior Pan American Championships at Bridgetown, Barbados with three spots, in each gender, up for grabs in the upcoming FIH Junior World Cups 2023. In the women’s competition, USA were crowned champions winning the finals against Argentina, with Chile winning bronze. In the men’s competition reigning junior World Champions Argentina were dominant throughout, scoring 31 goals in 4 games and winning the finals 6-1 against Canada, with Chile finishing in third.In the group stage of the women’s tournament Argentina and Chile were table toppers in Pool A and B respectively. Chile made the biggest splash winning their three games by a cumulative margin of 31 goals. USA finished second in Pool A with their only loss coming in a closely contested game against Argentina, while Canada finished second in Pool B with 2 wins and a solitary loss to Chile. Argentina edged past Canada through a 1-0 win in the semi-finals, while USA needed shoot-outs to stop the Chilean juggernaut and proceed to the finals. The finals were once again a close affair but USA showed their supremacy in the shoot-outs, getting the better of Argentina by a 4-1 margin, after the teams had ended the regulation period tied at 1-1. USA, Argentina and Canada have joined hosts Chile in qualifying for the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2023, which is to be held in Santiago, Chile later this year.Tracy Paul, head coach of the victorious USA team, speaking on her team’s success said: "We are really happy to qualified to the Junior World Cup 2023, this is another opportunity for our team to perform at a major tournament, international tournament as they work themselves through the high performance pathway."In the group stage of the men’s tournament Argentina topped Pool A while Canada topped Pool B with both teams winning all their matches with ease. Chile in Pool A and USA in Pool B finished in second place with their sole losses coming to Argentina and Canada respectively. Argentina dispatched USA in the semi-finals with a 7-0 win, while the second semi-final between Canada and Chile was a tense affair requiring shoot-outs where Canada prevailed. Argentina showed their dominance in the tournament once again by registering a massive 6-1 win in the finals to win gold. Chile defeated USA in the bronze medal match to book their spot in the FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup, which is to be played later this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Juan Gilardi, coach of the Argentina team, speaking after his team’s title victory, said: "We came here with 2 objectives, and we got them. We are really proud of the team. We are exited to be part of the World Cup, we have a long way to go, we are really looking forward to it."

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne (Switzerland): The Pan American hockey teams, in both men’s and women’s category, will compete from April 10 to 18 in the 2023 Junior Pan American Championships at Bridgetown, Barbados with three spots, in each gender, up for grabs in the upcoming FIH Junior World Cups 2023. Argentina, Canada, Chile, Guyana and USA will join hosts Barbados in both men’s and women’s tournaments, with Brazil (men) and Uruguay (women) rounding out the competing teams, with 7 sides playing in both tournaments. The men’s competition will get underway on the morning of 10 April with Argentina taking on Brazil, while the women’s competition will get underway on the same afternoon with Argentina taking on Uruguay in the opening encounter. The teams will be split into two pools, with Pool A comprising 3 teams and Pool B comprising 4 teams. In the men’s competition the Argentina, Brazil and Chile will play in Pool A, while Barbados, Canada, Guyana and USA are placed in Pool B. In the women’s competition Argentina, Uruguay and USA are placed in Pool A, while Barbados, Canada, Chile and Guyana will compete in Pool B. Each team in the pool stage will play the other teams in the pool once. The top two teams in both pools will qualify for the semi-finals, while the team in third position in Pool A will play the team in fourth position of Pool B, with the losing team ending their tournament in the seventh place, while the winner will play the third placed team in pool B in a fifth/sixth place playoff. The losing semi-finalists will play in the bronze medal match. The two finalists and the bronze medalists in each gender will qualify for the corresponding FIH Junior Hockey World Cup 2023. The finals in the men’s tournament will be played on 17 April in the afternoon, while the women’s final will be played at the same time on the afternoon of 18 April. The FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 will be played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 5-16 December 2023. Malaysia have qualified as the hosts of the competition. Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain have qualified from Europe as the teams that were classified in the top-5 at the EuroHockey Junior Championship 2022. Australia and New Zealand have also qualified through the Oceania Junior World Cup Qualifiers 2022. South Africa and Egypt are the qualifiers from Africa finishing as the top two teams at the Junior Africa Cup 2023. Apart from the three qualifiers from Pan America, three more teams from Asia will qualify for the World Cup through the Junior Asia Cup 2023 which will be played later in the year. The FIH Junior Hockey Women’s World Cup 2023 will be played in Santiago, Chile. The new dates for the World Cup have been released and the event will now run from 29 November to 10th December 2023. Chile have qualified as the hosts of the competition. Belgium, England, Germany, Netherlands and Spain have qualified from Europe as the teams that were classified in the top-5 at the EuroHockey Junior Championship 2022. Australia and New Zealand have also qualified through the Oceania Junior World Cup Qualifiers 2022. South Africa and Zimbabwe are the qualifiers from Africa finishing as the top two teams at the Junior Africa Cup 2023. Apart from the three qualifiers from Pan America, three more teams from Asia will qualify for the World Cup through the Junior Asia Cup 2023 which will be played later in the year.

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): After 80 matches and seven days of rousing action, Austria’s men successfully defended their world title while the Netherlands regained the women’s crown as the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup came to a gripping end in Pretoria, South Africa. Michael Körper got the defending champions off to a great start in the men’s final, putting his side ahead in the ninth minute. Less than a minute later the Dutch struck back, Max Sweering slotting one in off a penalty stroke for the equaliser just before the first break. But it didn’t take long for the Austrians to regain their lead, Körper once again adding his name to the scoresheet with a magnificent, lifted effort. The Dutch once again came back at them though, to level matters before halftime. The Netherlands then led twice in the second half, but the prolific Körper completed his hattrick to once again draw level at 4-4, sending the title decider to a shootout, which the Austrians edged 3-2 for a memorable victory. https://sports-bulletin.com/single?id=4548 While the Austrian men were crowned world champions for a second time, the women were seeking a first-ever world title when they also took on the Netherlands in their final. But the Dutch were in rampant mood in what turned into a completely one-sided match. Mabel Brands scored a hattrick as the Dutch romped to a third world title with a 7-0 victory. With that, they also climbed to the top spot in the world rankings while Austria moved up from seventh to fourth. In a first for a Hockey World Cup, both the men’s and women’s finals featured one male and one female umpire in each. Meanwhile, the women’s third-place playoff saw hosts South Africa taking on the Czech Republic. Having dropped from third at the 2015 World Cup to seventh in 2018, the Czechs were determined to make a return to the podium and they put in the ideal performance to do just that. Adela Lehovcova scored a brace and Anna Kolarova added another before the home side could breach the Austrian defence. Tegan Fourie’s consolation goal in the 26th minute was not enough to prevent the 1-3 loss for the South Africans, who nevertheless achieved their highest-ever World Cup finish with fourth place. Their unprecedented progress also saw them climbing up the world rankings from 12th place to sixth. The men’s bronze medal match between Iran and the USA produced another fast-paced showdown which included several spectacular goals. It was all square on 4-4 by the final hooter after Aki Kaeppeler found the final equaliser in the 37th minute. Results (men’s event): New Zealand 2 – 7 Australia Player of the match: Ben Staines (AUS) Austria 8 – 3 Iran Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Netherlands 7 – 3 USA Player of the match: Nicki Leijs Kazakhstan 2 – 5 Czech Republic Player of the match: Lukas Plochy (CZE) Iran 4 (3) – 4 (2) USA Player of the match: Reza Norouzzadeh (IRI) Austria 4 (3) – 4 (2) Netherlands Player of the match: Michael Körper (AUT) Results (women’s event): Austria 1 – 0 Czech Republic Player of the match: Marianne Pulter (AUT) Netherlands 6 – 1 South Africa Player of the match: Lieke van Wijk (NED) South Africa 1 – 3 Czech Republic Player of the match: Barbora Cechakova (CZE) Netherlands 7 – 0 Austria Player of the match: Mabel Brands (NED) Final tournament standings (Women): Netherlands, 2. Austria, 3. Czech Republic, 4. South Africa, 5. Belgium, 6. Ukraine, 7. Australia, 8. Canada, 9. USA, 10. Kazakhstan, 11. New Zealand, 12. Namibia   Men’s Teams standings: Austria, 2. Netherlands, 3. Iran, 4. USA, 5. Belgium, 6. South Africa, 7. Argentina, 8. Namibia, 9. Czech Republic, 10. Kazakhstan, 11. Australia, 12. New Zealand Individual Awards (women) Best Player: Donja Zwinkels (NED) Hero Top Scorer: Donja Zwinkels (NED) Best Goalkeeper: Barbora Cechakova (CZE) Best Junior Player: Reese D'ariano (USA) Individual Awards (Men) Best Player: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Hero Top Scorer: Michael Körper (AUT) Best Goalkeeper: Mateusz Szymczyk (AUT) Best Junior Player: Mustaphaa Cassiem (RSA)

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): History was made by the USA men and South African women as they secured their first-ever semifinal spots at the FIH Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. After a thrilling day of quarterfinal clashes, the final four places were determined with defending champions Austria up against Iran while the Netherlands will take on the USA for a spot in the men’s final. 2018 bronze medallists Iran earned their semifinal spot in dramatic fashion, coming from 0-3 down in the third quarter to beat eighth-ranked Belgium in a shootout. The Iranians managed to level the scores at 5-5 in the 37th minute and it then took an incredible 18 shots to decide the winners in the subsequent shootout. Austria were next to secure their safe passage through to the final four with a 2-0 victory over Argentina, but it wasn’t until well into the third quarter that they first found the back of the net. Meanwhile, both the USA and Namibia were looking to extend their history-making runs at the World Cup – with the quarterfinals being unchartered territory for both teams. It was the Americans who had the edge. Namibia scored in the final minute of the match, but it was not enough to prevent a 3-2 win for the USA. The Dutch were in rampant mood against hosts South Africa in the last men’s quarterfinal. The 2015 world champions racked up a 5-0 lead by half time. The home side suddenly came alive in the final quarter, scoring three goals of their own. But when the Dutch added another one to their own tally, the fightback fizzled out. In the women’s tournament, the Czech Republic were the first side to book their place in the semifinals with a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Australia. Both Belgium and South Africa were seeking their first-ever appearances in the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup semifinals when they met in the third women’s quarterfinal of the day. It was the host nation who benefited from the backing of a fervent home crowd to produce their best World Cup result to date. A goal from South African captain Jess O’Connor off a penalty corner edged her side in front and Tegan Fourie doubled their lead just before halftime. But the Belgians came back through a final-quarter goal, and they were a nervous final few minutes until the 2-1 home win was secured. In the final matchup of the day, it took 15 minutes for the Netherlands to breach the Canadian defence. But two hattricks, from Lieke van Wijk and Donja Zwinkels, steered the two-time world champions to a resounding 6-1 victory. The Dutch will take on South Africa in Saturday’s semifinals while Austria will play the Czech Republic. Results (Men’s Event): Iran 5 (6) – 5 (5) Belgium Player of the match: Reza Norouzzadeh (IRI) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Adam Barry (AUS) Austria 2 – 0 Argentina Player of the match: Michael Körper (AUT) Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Rachel Williams (ENG) USA 3 – 2 Namibia Player of the match: Aki Kaeppeler (USA) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Diego Barbas (ARG) Netherlands 6 – 3 South Africa Player of the match: Boris Burkhardt (NED) Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Sophie Bockelmann (GER) Results (Women’s Event): New Zealand 4 – 3 Namibia Player of the match: Kirsten Pearce (NZL) Umpires: Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA), Cathy Wright (WAL) USA 5 – 1 Kazakhstan Player of the match: Hannah Miller (USA) Umpires: Narongtuch Subboonsong (THA), Lyndal Robertson (RSA) Czech Republic 6 – 0 Australia Player of the match: Katerina Lacina (CZE) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Austria 3 – 1 Ukraine Player of the match: Stella van Rahden (AUT) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) Belgium 1 – 2 South Africa Player of the match: Tegan Fourie (RSA) Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Netherlands 6 – 1 Canada Player of the match: Lieke van Wijk (NED) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Lyndal Robertson (RSA)

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): The quarterfinal lineup was completed after several scintillating performances on the final day of pool matches at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. The men’s Pool B clash between the Czech Republic and Iran produced a 16-goal thriller. The Czechs led 6-3 by the 25th minute but the feisty Iranians came back at them. Just like they had done against South Africa the day before, a final-minute goal clinched a dramatic, last-gasp draw for Iran. The 8-8 draw was enough to see the Iranians through to the quarterfinals, but there was disappointment for the fourth-ranked Czech Republic who are now left to fight it out for the minor places. The other Pool B battle, between South Africa and Argentina, was another entertaining, high-scoring affair, which saw the hosts snatching a 5-4 win with another Mustapha Cassiem goal in the final minute. Despite the loss, Argentina are also through to the quarterfinals thanks to their earlier victories over Iran and Australia. In the other men’s pool it was Namibia who booked the final top-four spot despite a 4-4 draw with New Zealand. Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic had already secured their quarterfinal places before the final pool matches of the women’s tournament but the other spots were yet to be determined. There was double joy for the home crowd when the South African women claimed their second victory of the tournament, beating New Zealand 6-3 to qualify for the top eight. Australia went down 2-4 to Austria in their final pool match, but still progressed thanks to their earlier victories against the USA and New Zealand. In Pool B, it was Belgium, Ukraine and Canada who joined the already-qualified Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. Belgium defeated Canada 1-0 thanks to a third-quarter goal from Claire Barry, and the Canadians then faced an anxious wait for the outcome of the final pool clash between Ukraine and Kazakhstan to discover whether they’d done enough to progress. That match ended in a 3-3 draw, with one point not enough to see the Kazakhs through ahead of Canada. Friday’s men’s quarterfinal clashes will see Belgium facing Iran while defending world champions Austria are up against Argentina, the USA take on Namibia, and the Netherlands play South Africa. In the women’s tournament, the Czech Republic face Australia, Austria take on Ukraine, Belgium play South Africa and the Netherlands are up against Canada in a bid to reach Saturday’s semifinals. Results (Men’s Event): South Africa 6 – 5 Argentina Player of the match: Chad Futcher (RSA) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Sean Edwards (ENG) USA 4 – 2 Australia Player of the match: Stuart Kentwell (USA) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Czech Republic 8 – 8 Iran Player of the match: Tomas Prochazka (CZE) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Rachel Williams (ENG) Belgium 1 – 7 Netherlands Player of the match: Boris Burkhardt (NED) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Adam Barry (AUS) Austria 9 – 2 Kazakhstan Player of the match: Michael Körper (AUT) Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Namibia 4 – 4 New Zealand Player of the match: Liam Hermanus (NAM) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) Results (Women’s Event): Netherlands 3 – 2 USA Player of the match: Elizabeth Tamburro (USA) Umpires: Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA), Cathy Wright (WAL) South Africa 6 – 3 New Zealand Player of the match: Daniela de Oliveira (RSA) Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Rachel Williams (ENG Australia 2 – 4 Austria Player of the match: Katharina Bauer (AUT) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Cathy Wright (WAL) Belgium 1 – 0 Canada Player of the match: Claire Barry (BEL) Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Namibia 0 – 6 Czech Republic Player of the match: Anna Vorlova (CZE) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Sean Edwards (ENG) Ukraine 3 – 3 Kazakhstan Player of the match: Karyna Leonova (UKR) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL)

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): Day four also featured two top-of-the-table clashes between Austria and the Netherlands, with the Austrian men and Dutch women emerging victorious in the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. Making his scoring debut in the tournament was Austria’s Michael Körper, who flew in later than the rest of the team after helping his Harvestehuder THC side land the German Indoor Championship title over the weekend. Körper made up for lost time, scoring all four of Austria’s goals in their 4-1 victory over the Netherlands. Meanwhile, there was joy for Kazakhstan’s men’s side as they claimed their first win of the tournament. Having notched up a four-goal lead against New Zealand, the Kazakhs managed to hit the left and then the right post within a matter of seconds in their bid for a fifth goal. It was eventually Yerkebulan Dyussebekov who slotted it in off a penalty corner to seal the 5-0 win. Earlier in the day, the Belgian men’s side secured their place in the quarterfinals with a 4-1 victory over Namibia. In the other men’s pool, a 7-4 victory for the United States over Argentina saw the Americans finishing the day on top, also ensuring their passage through. Aki Kaeppeler scored three of those goals, his contribution crucial against the determined Argentinians, who have made an impressive impact on their tournament debut. The Czech Republic women booked their place in the final eight with a 4-2 victory over Ukraine, while the South African women claimed their first victory of the tournament with a 1-0 win over Australia. Results (February 8, 2023-Men’s Event): Namibia 1 – 4 Belgium Player of the match: Philippe Simar (BEL) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Emily Carroll (AUS) Kazakhstan 5 – 0 New Zealand Player of the match: Daulet Urmanov (KAZ) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA) Melina Illanes (ARG)  Netherlands 1 – 4 Austria Player of the match: Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Sean Edwards (ENG) USA 7 – 4 Argentina Player of the match: Aki Kaeppeler Umpires: Adres Ortiz (ESP), Sophie Bockelmann (GER) Iran 4 – 4 South Africa Player of the match: Mustapha Cassiem (RSA) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Sean Edwards (ENG) Player of the match: Benjamin Rennie (AUS) Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) Results (February 8, 2023-Women’s Event): Republic 4 – 2 Ukraine Player of the match: Barbora Cechakova (CZE) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Belgium 2 – 1 Namibia Player of the match: Laurine Delforge (BEL) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Kazakhstan 4 – 4 Canada Player of the match: Samantha McCrory Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Emily Carroll (AUS) Austria 1 – 5 Netherlands Player of the match: Donja Zwinkels Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Lyndal Robertson (RSA)  USA 9 – 0 New Zealand Player of the match: Sydney Mandato (USA) Umpires: Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) South Africa 1 – 0 Australia Player of the match: Tegan Fourie (RSA) Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Melina Illanes (ARG)  

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): Austria and the Netherlands were the only teams to maintain their perfect records on day three at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, so ensuring safe passage through to the quarterfinals. As a mark of respect for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, a moment of silence preceded the beginning of the day’s matches. After being pushed all the way by hosts South Africa a day earlier, the Dutch women were back to their goal-blitzing best, putting eight past Australia for a third straight victory. The Dutch have conceded just one goal in three matches at the tournament so far. Results (Day-7): Result: Match 13 – men Australia 4 – 6 Iran Player of the match: Behdad Beiranvand (IRI) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Result: Match 13 – women USA 2 – 2 South Africa Player of the match: Jess O’Connor (RSA) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Rachel Williams (ENG) Result: Match 14 – men South Africa 2 – 5 USA Player of the match: Jonathan Klages (USA) Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Emily Carroll (AUS) Result: Match 14 – women Australia 0 – 8 Netherlands Player of the match: Donja Zwinkels (NED) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Result: Match 15 – men Argentina 3 – 3 Czech Republic Player of the match: Lukas Plochy (CZE) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Adam Barry (AUS) Result: Match 15 – women New Zealand 2 – 4 Austria Player of the match: Miriam Gerö (AUT) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Lyndal Robertson (RSA) Result: Match 16 – men Kazakhstan 2 – 6 Namibia Player of the match: David Strauss (NAM) Umpires: Rachel Williams (ENG), Andres Ortiz (ESP) Result: Match 16 – women Canada 3 – 2 Czech Republic Player of the match: Samantha McCrory (CAN) Umpires: Narongtuch Subboonsong (THA), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Result: Match 17 – men Belgium 1 – 5 Austria Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Result: Match 17 – women Namibia 1 – 2 Ukraine Player of the match: Oksana Ponomarenko Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Melina Illanes (ARG) Result: Match 18 – men New Zealand 0 – 12 Netherlands Player of the match: Boris Burkhardt (NED) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Melina Illanes (ARG) Result: Match 18 – women Kazakhstan 2 – 5 Belgium Player of the match: Laurine Delforge (BEL) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Narongtuch Subboonsong (THA)

Sports Bulletin Report PRETORIA: Hosts South Africa joined the Ukrainian women’s team and the Iranian men in notching up their first victories of the tournament on another action-packed day at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. A fiercely contested encounter saw South African firecracker Mustapha Cassiem scoring five goals in his side’s impressive 8-4 victory over the fourth-ranked Czech Republic. Meanwhile, Iran’s men had a battle on their hands against the USA. After Iran raced to a 2-0 lead by the third minute, the Americans slowly worked their way back into the match and managed to level matters at 3-3 towards the end of the first half. But Iranian keeper Sasan Hataminejad produced a spectacular performance to prevent any more goals, saving two strokes and keeping the determined Americans at bay. Having taken off their own keeper in the dying minutes of the match to boost their scoring chances, the USA conceded three quick goals and the ultimate score of 8-3 was far from an accurate reflection of the hard-fought contest, Reza Norouzzadeh completing his hattrick in the process. Result (Men’s Event): Austria beat Namibia (2-0) Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (Austria) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Emily Carroll (AUS) Netherlands beat Kazakhstan (9-1) Player of the match: Schut Wiegert (Netherlands) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Lee Barron (ENG) Belgium beat New Zealand (7-2) Player of the match: Philippe Simar (Belgium) Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Argentina beat Australia (3-1) Player of the match: Juan Eleicegui Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Sean Edwards (ENG) Iran beat USA (8-3) Player of the match: Sasan Hataminejad (Iran) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) South Africa beat Czech Republic (8-4) Player of the match: Mustapha Cassiem Umpires: Rachel Williams (ENG), Sophie Bockelmann (GER) Results (Women’s Event): Canada 2 – 2 Namibia Player of the match: Alison Lee (Canada) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Sean Edwards (ENG) Czech Republic beat Kazakhstan (8-2) Player of the match: Natalie Novakova (Czech Republic) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Rachel Williams (ENG) Ukraine beat Belgium (3-0) Player of the match:  Karyna Leonova Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Sophie Bockelmann (GER) Austria beat USA (2-1) Player of the match: Fiona Felber Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Melina Illanes (ARG) Netherlands beat South Africa (3-1) Player of the match: Eva Van T’Hoog Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Emily Carroll (AUS) Australia beat New Zealand (5-1) Player of the match: Litiana Field Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL)

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): An impressive total of 84 goals were scored across the opening 12 games of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa as there were victories for Argentina, USA, Netherlands, defending champions Austria and Belgium in the men’s tournament and for Austria, Australia, Netherlands, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic in the women’s event. Debutants Argentina enjoyed the best possible introduction to the men’s tournament, winning their opening match against 2018 bronze medallists Iran. The Iranians raced to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter after Mohammad Karimi was on target with his penalty corner strikes, first slotting into the top left corner and then the top right. Facundo Navarro then earned his place in history as the scorer of the Argentinian men’s first-ever goal at an FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. The Iranians came back to take a 3-1 lead by half time but the determined debutants would not go away without a fight. Four second-half goals to Iran’s one, including a second from Navarro, ensured the Argentinians claimed a remarkable 5-4 victory. Meanwhile, facing an even more daunting task in their opening match were fellow debutants, the New Zealand women’s team, who faced off against 2018 silver medallists, the Netherlands. While the Kiwi defence put in a valiant effort, the Netherlands, who are among the title favourites in Pretoria, were untroubled in notching up a double-digit score. Captain Donja Zwinkels scored five goals as the Dutch cruised to a 10-0 victory. Earlier in the day it was the South African women’s and men’s teams that got the tournament underway. The SA women took on Austria while the men took on Australia. It seemed fitting that the first goal of the tournament came from the host nation’s women’s captain Jess O’Connor. The evenly contested encounter saw the teams matching each other goal for goal until Marta Laginja scored her second, and Austria’s third goal with just two minutes to go. But it was Stella van Rahden who proved to be the star for the seventh-ranked Austrians, saving a penalty stroke awarded to the South Africans in the dying seconds to secure the 3-2 victory. Mustapha Cassiem scored a brace for the South African men’s team to take a 2-0 lead against Australia. But it was captain Jethro Eustice who scored the all-important third goal, after the Aussies came back at them, to earn a 3-all draw for the home team. At just 14 years old, it was an opening match to remember for American teen sensation Reese D’Ariano who scored two of the USA women’s goals in their match against Australia. The Americans eventually went down 4-2, but there was a hattrick for D’Ariano’s compatriot Marius Leser on his Indoor Hockey World Cup debut in the USA men’s 4-3 upset victory over the fourth-ranked Czech Republic. The other hattricks of the day came from the Netherlands men’s Max Sweering in his side’s 7-1 win over Namibia, with three Dutch goals scored in the final four minutes, and Austria’s Fabian Unterkircher in the defending champions’ 7-1 win over New Zealand. Belgium’s captain Philippe Simar then also got in on the act in the final match of the night, scoring five goals in his team’s victory over Kazakhstan by exactly the same margin of 7-1. After the South African men drew with Australia, the only other draw of the day was registered in the women's tournament between third-ranked Ukraine and a resolute Canadian side, ranked 16th in the world. After the first day of entertaining action in Pretoria, the Netherlands top Pool A in the women’s tournament and the Czech Republic find themselves atop Pool B. In the men’s tournament Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands all share top spot in Pool A while Pool B is topped by Argentina. Results (Men’s Event): Austria 3 – 2 South Africa Australia 3 – 3 South Africa Iran 4 – 5 Argentina Czech Republic 3 – 4 USA Netherlands 7 – 1 Namibia Austria 7 – 1 New Zealand Belgium 7 – 1 Kazakhstan Results (Women’s Event): Austria 3 – 2 South Africa Australia 4 – 2 USA Netherlands 10 – 0 New Zealand Namibia 3 – 5 Kazakhstan Ukraine 1 – 1 Canada Czech Republic 6 – 1 Belgium

Sports Bulletin Report Bhubaneswar (India): The final day of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 was played in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar as Germany were crowned the champions of the world, defeating the defending champions Belgium in a thrilling finals, where they went down by 2 goals early in the first quarter but fought their way back again and took the game into a shoot-out, where they held their nerves in the sudden deaths, winning 5-4. With the win Germany also claimed the top spot in the FIH Men’s World Outdoor Rankings. Bronze Medal Match: Netherlands beat Australia (3-1) Netherlands started the game on the front foot, with Theijs van Dam getting a powerful shot into the circle looking for a Dutch deflection, but Hoedemakers couldn’t get on the end of the cross and Australia survived an early scare. Australia started settling into the game midway through the first quarter and a pass into the circle by Jeremy Hayward found captain Zalewski open on the right of the goal, but his shot/cross went wide off the mark with Blake Govers missing a deflection from point blank range. Australia scored the opening goal of the game through Jeremy Hayward who scored his 100th goal in his 200th appearance for Australia. It was a double blow for the Dutch who had referred the penalty corner and lost their review early in the first quarter. Netherlands won their first penalty corner of the game in the 20th minute but Jip Janssen’s powerful flick went straight as an arrow and Charter managed to pull off a comfortable save to deny Netherlands from their first big chance since the opening minute. Both teams traded opportunities to close the opening half, with big chances falling to Koen Bijen for the Dutch and Blake Govers for the Kookaburras, but both star forwards were off targets with their running shots and the teams headed into the break with Australia holding a slender one-goal advantage against Netherlands. Netherlands started the second half with a high press, which was a tactic that worked quite well for Germany in the semi-finals. The ploy seemed to work well for Netherlands as well as they earned three quick penalty corners inside the first two minutes of the second half, and with the third attempt, Jip Janssen opened his account in the game with a powerful drag to the right of Charter to bring the teams level. Two minutes later, Netherlands were in the lead as a clearance attempt by Tim Howard was blocked by Wortelboer in the circle and the resulting loose ball was put into the goal by Dutch captain Thierry Brinkman. Australia started to press higher in search for an equaliser, but it was Netherlands again who capitalised with a quick counter as van Dam’s run from the half line produced a cross that found Brinkman unmarked at the back post and he made no mistake in doubling Netherlands lead. Australia entered the final 15 minutes needing to score at least 2 goals to keep their hopes of winning a medal at the World Cup alive. Their high press gave Netherlands a lot to do in defence, but Jorrit Croon, along with Blok and Jansen, were stellar in the Dutch defensive circle, stopping waves of Australian crosses into the circle. Netherlands believed they had scored the 4th goal of the game midway through the quarter with Koen Bijen knocking the ball into the goal on the back post, but a foul in the build up reversed the goal as Australia breathed a sigh of relief. But Netherlands continued their excellent defence and as time ran out, they ran out winners, earning their third bronze medal at the men’s World Cups.   Gold Medal Match: Germany beat Belgium 3-3 (SO: 5-4) Germany took on Belgium in the finals hoping to win their 3rd gold medal at the FIH Hockey Men's World Cups to go level with Australia and Netherlands and one behind Pakistan who have won the event 4 times; while Belgium aimed to become just the 4th team, after Pakistan, Germany & Australia, to defend their title successfully. Belgium started the game on the front foot, creating an early circle entry, but Tom Grambusch was alert to the chance and intercepted a cross right in front of the goal and cleared the danger. Germany won a penalty corner in the 6th minute, referring the original decision which had gone against them. The resulting penalty corner was well defended by first rusher Cosyns who blocked Gonzalo Peillat’s attempted flick. Belgium opened the scoring in the 10th minute as a long corner deflected high off a German stick and fell to Florent van Aubel at the top of the circle and he took the shot on in his stride and smashed the ball into the goal before Stadler could react! Less than a minute later Belgium had doubled their lead as a cross from the left deflected off a German stick and fell to Simon Gougnard who had to get the slightest of touches to put it in the goal. Belgium won a penalty corner early in the second quarter and their variation caught the German rushers out, but Stadler dived brilliantly to his left and pulled off a great save to keep Germany in the game. Moments later Germany won a penalty stroke after Christopher Rühr found Windfeder with an incisive pass and his cross was blocked by the foot of a sliding Belgian defender. Tom Grambusch stepped up to take the stroke but his high shot to the left was saved brilliantly by Vincent Vanasch who got his stick to the ball and deflected it on to the post and deflected out! Secure in their lead Belgium sat back in deep defence inviting German pressure, and Germany finally made it count winning a penalty corner with less than 90 seconds left in the quarter. It was Niklas Wellen once again scoring for Germany as Tom Grambusch’s attempted flick deflected off the first rusher and fell to Wellen, who was the injector. He controlled the shoulder high ball brilliantly and smashed the volley above the outstretched hands of Vanasch to give Germany a goal back before the half. Belgium nearly caught Germany out on a quick counter attack right at the start of the second half as Victor Wegnez’ long pass into the circle crashed into the backboard, but a diving Dockier did not manage to get a touch on the ball and Germany were awarded a free-out. Germany then managed to test Vanasch again as a quick pass by Trompertz found Miltkau in the circle and he had time and space to get his shot away, but his low effort was well saved by Vanasch who got his left foot on to the ball and sent it out of play. A minute later, Germany were back level as Gonzalo Peillat buried a penalty corner low in the bottom left corner of the goal and there was nothing a diving Vanasch could do to stop it. With 15 minutes left in the game it was all squared up again, with shoot-outs looming large if neither team could find the go-ahead goal. Germany completed their turnaround in the third minute of the final quarter as captain Mats Grambusch hit a sliding tomahawk shot from a minute angle and the powerful shot snuck in through the legs of Vanasch to give Germany the lead! Belgium started to pile on the pressure as they hunted an equaliser of their own having led for a significant portion of the match and for a change it was Germany who had to rely on their defence. But Hinrichs and Tom Grambusch were massive for the Germans in defence, keeping Belgium outside their 25 and intercepting any attempted crosses that looked to find an attacker in the German scoring circle. Belgium won a penalty corner with less than 2 minutes left in the game and once again it was star-man Tom Boon that did the business for the Red Lions perfectly placing his flick between Stadler and the post defender to score and send the game into a shoot-out! List of Awards Fair Play Award: Team Belgium Maximum Team Goals: Netherlands Best Team Goal Celebration: Korea Fan’s Choice Award: Christopher Rühr (Germany) JSP Foundation Best Junior Player of the Tournament: Mustaphaa Cassiem (South Africa) Hero Top Scorer: Jeremy Hayward (Australia) JSW Best Goalkeeper: Vincent Vanasch (Belgium) Best Defender: Jeremy Hayward (Australia) Best Midfielder: Victor Wegnez (Belgium) Best Forward: Niklas Wellen (Germany) Odisha Best Player: Niklas Wellen (Germany) Bronze Medal: Team Netherlands Silver Medal: Team Belgium Gold Medal: Team Germany