Hockey - Int News
FIH Hockey Junior World Cup for women: Argentina and Ireland on board
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Lausanne, Switzerland (September 24, 2021):-Hockey Australia and Hockey New Zealand will no longer be able to participate to the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup South Africa 2021 due to COVID-related international travel restrictions put in place by their respective governments, both teams have been replaced by Argentina and Ireland.
The Junior representatives of the Tokyo 2020 silver medallists and of the 2018 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup finalists have been selected as they currently are the next best ranked nations – according to the FIH World Rankings for senior teams – among those not having qualified.
Argentina – Las Leoncitas - won the last edition of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup staged in 2016 in Chile.
FIH’s flagship event for Women’s Juniors will take place at the North-West University (NWU) of the academic city of Potchefstroom - situated approx. 120 km west-southwest of Johannesburg – from 5 to 16 December 2021. It will involve 16 teams from all around the world.
USA and Canada join FIH Odisha Hockey Junior Hockey World Cup 2021
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Lausanne, Switzerland (September 23, 2021):-After an announcement by Hockey Australia and Hockey New Zealand that they will no longer be able to participate to the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 due to COVID-related international travel restrictions put in place by their respective governments, both teams have been replaced by the USA and Canada.
Since the qualification process for the event stipulates that the Pan American Hockey Federation has the quota of the first reserve, the USA – who finished third of the recent Junior Pan Am Championships - have been selected. The second reserve spot was attributed to the best team in the FIH World Rankings (Seniors) not yet qualified, namely Canada.
As announced by Hockey India earlier today, the event (24 November – 5 December) will take place in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the outstanding venue which will also host the next FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2023.
FIH reveals match schedule of Indoor Hockey World Cup Belgium 2022
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Lausanne, Switzerland (September 17, 2021)International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced the match schedule of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup Belgium 2022, which will be held in the Country Hall of Liège on 2-6 February next year. Today’s event was attended by FIH CEO Thierry Weil, Wallonia Brussels Federation Sports Minister Valérie Glatigny, Liège Province Vice-President Katty Firquet, Wallonia Brussels Federation Sports Administration General Manager Alain Laitat and Royal Belgian Hockey Association President Patrick Keusters, amongst others.
Following the announcement by Hockey Australia and Hockey New Zealand that they will unfortunately no longer be able to participate due to COVID-related international travel restrictions put in place by their respective governments, the Oceania representatives have been replaced by Namibia and USA (Men) as well as Canada and South Africa (Women). These four teams have been invited by FIH based on each being the runners up in the recently held African and Pan American Indoor Championships, with a view to maintaining a balance between the number of participating teams per continent.
The Women’s national teams of Czech Republic and Kazakhstan will open the show on 2 February, whilst the Men’s and Women’s Finals will be played on 6 February.
FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “With no less than 80 international matches played in 5 days, the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup provides a particularly intense and exciting spectacle! On behalf of FIH, I’d like to wholeheartedly thank the local authorities as well as the Royal Belgian Hockey Association for all their efforts to put together an event which undoubtedly will offer a wonderful experience to athletes and fans alike!”
Hockey Belgium CEO Serge Pilet said: “We are extremely happy that we can kick off this organisation at last, after very difficult months. Being able to announce a world class event like the Indoor Hockey World Cup in Belgium, is really an important milestone for us. And with our Olympic gold medal still fresh in the memories of the Belgian sports fans, we are convinced we will be able to attract new spectators to discover our beautiful sport in its indoor version. See you all in February in Liège!”
This will be the sixth edition of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. Indoor hockey’s flagship event will see 12 teams compete in the men's and women's competitions respectively. Germany women and Austria men won the last edition, which took place in 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
Arrangements revisited for National Hockey Championship
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE (September 13, 2021): Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said that the preparations of forthcoming First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship were in final stages and this championship would definitely play a significant role in further promotion of hockey among female players across the country.
Director Sports Hafeez Bhatti, Project Director PMU Nadeem Anwer and Deputy Director Chand Perveen attended the meeting which was convened to review the arrangements of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship scheduled to be staged at National Hockey Stadium from September 18-23, 2021.
Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said the First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship will provide an appropriate platform to budding female hockey players of the country to demonstrate their talent in a competitive environment. “The entire corona SOPs and protocols will be followed fully during the 6-day hockey championship. The top performing teams and individuals will be given plenty of prizes to encourage them to participate in hockey events with great amount of spirit and passion”.
Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said the holding of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship is a major step for the promotion of hockey among young generation. He directed all the 13 administrative committees to speed up their preparations for the holding of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship in a befitting manner.
Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said 14 teams will participate in the championship. Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will field two teams each in the tournament while Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Army, HEC, Wapda and Railways will send one team each for the grand hockey event. “Sports Board Punjab will provide top standard facilities to all the participating teams during the mega event,” he added.
Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said the training camp of Punjab’s 37 female players is underway for the preparation of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship. “Expert coaches and trainers are imparting training to all participants of training camp at National Hockey Stadium with special focus being given to ball control, dodging, goal-scoring and physical fitness of the players”.
FIH World Rankings: Euro Hockey Championship II competitions trigger changes
SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT
Lausanne, Switzerland: There may not have been any changes at the highest levels of the FIH World Rankings, but the match action at last month's Euro Hockey Championship II competitions has resulted in some climbers and fallers elsewhere.
Austria men have climbed from 20th to 19th courtesy of their EuroHockey Championship II tournament victory in Gniezno, Poland, exchanging places with beaten finalists Scotland. Ireland's third place finish in that competition has resulted in a drop from 13th to 14th, while fourth placed Poland remain in 26th position.
Fifth placed Italy and sixth placed Ukraine both climb one place to 22nd and 28th respectively, with seventh placed Switzerland holding onto 34th position in the rankings. Croatia's eighth place finish in Gniezno has resulted in the biggest fall, dropping from a ranking of 39 to 56.
The women's Euro-Hockey Championship II took place in Prague, Czech Republic, with Belarus winning the event to retain 21st place in the FIH World Rankings. France claimed a superb second place thanks to finishing above four higher-ranked teams, seeing them end the competition one place higher than they started it, climbing from 28th to 27th.
Third placed Poland and fourth placed Wales were also one-place rankings climbers, rising to 23rd and 25th respectively, while sixth placed Czech Republic have dropped one place to 24th. Seventh placed Austria remain 31st, while Lithuania's eighth place finish has resulted in them dropping from a ranking of 34 to 49.
Due to a lack of match action there has been no change to the respective women's and men's top ten, where the Netherlands women and Belgium men - both gold medallists at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 sit proudly at the top of the standings.
Tokyo 2020 was the first Olympic Games to take place since the introduction of the match-based rankings calculated model, which came into play in January 2020. The move away from the previous tournament-based system to one where opposing teams exchange points in official matches means that, for the first time, the results of the fixtures in Tokyo will have a direct, real-time effect on FIH World Ranking positions. More information about the new rankings model can be found below.
How the FIH World Rankings work:
The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match.
FIH World Rankings explained:
Based on the Elo rating system, which is used as the basis of many other sports ranking systems
When two nations play against each other, a number of ranking points are exchanged between them
In every match, the number of points gained by one team is exactly matched by the number of points lost by the other
Teams will win more points for beating teams ranked above them, and therefore teams will lose more points for losing to a team ranked below them
Teams will win less points for beating teams ranked below them, and therefore teams will lose less points for losing to a team ranked above them
If a draw occurs, the lower ranked team will gain a small number of points and the higher ranked team will lose the same number of points
The number of points exchanged is dependent on the result of the match (win, lose, shootout win/loss or draw), the importance of the match (part of a major tournament, or a test series for example), and the relative difference in ranking points between the teams before the match.
FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21
SPORTS NEWS
Lausanne, Switzerland (August 23, 2021):- The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to reveal the shortlists for the FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21, with players, coaches, media and fans being able to register their votes for the nominees in the respective women’s and men’s Player, Goalkeeper, Rising Star and Coach of the Year categories from today (Monday 23 August).
With no Hockey Stars Awards in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 global health pandemic on the international calendar, this year’s awards cover the period from January 2020 through to the conclusion of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, meaning that the 2020-21 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League has been very much taken into consideration. In another change from the norm, the Hockey Stars Awards nominations and voting will now take place around August and September of each calendar year going forward, moving away from its traditional December-January launch period.
The voting process for the FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21 will remain open until Wednesday 15 September 2021, with the winners being announced in late September / early October 2021.
Votes from National Associations, represented by their respective national captains and coaches, will count for 50% of the overall result, while fans and players (25%) as well as media (25%) will make the other half of the votes.
List of Awards
FIH Player of the Year – Women & Men
FIH Goalkeeper of the Year - Women & Men
FIH Rising Star of the Year - Women & Men (Aged 21 or under on 31/12/2021)
FIH Coach of the Year - Women & Men
The shortlisted individuals in each category can be found below.
FIH Player of the Year Awards
Women: Agustina Albertarrio (ARG), Eva de Goede (NED), Agustina Gorzelany (ARG), Gurjit Kaur (IND), Frédérique Matla (NED), Maria Verschoor (NED)
Men: Tim Brand (AUS), Arthur van Doren (BEL), Alexander Hendrickx (BEL), Harmanpreet Singh (IND), Jake Whetton (AUS), Aran Zalewski (AUS)
FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Awards
Women: Maddie Hinch (GBR/ENG), Savita (IND), Belén Succi (ARG)
Men: Andrew Charter (AUS), Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh (IND), Vincent Vanasch (BEL).
FIH Rising Star of the Year Awards
Women: Fiona Crackles (GBR/ENG), Sharmila Devi (IND), Valentina Raposo (ARG)
Men: Mustaphaa Cassiem (RSA), Sean Findlay (NZL), Vivek Prasad (IND)
FIH Coach of the Year Awards
Women’s teams: Alyson Annan (AUS) – The Netherlands, Mark Hager (AUS) – Great Britain & England, Sjoerd Marijne (NED) – India
Men’s teams: Colin Batch (AUS) – Australia, Shane McLeod (NZL) – Belgium, Graham Reid (AUS) – India
FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21 - selection and voting process
Following the conclusion of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the nominee shortlist was agreed by an expert committee. This committee consisted of FIH Athletes Committee Chair Rogier Hofman, FIH Media Coordinator and journalist Sarah Juggins, Belgium Hockey High Performance Director Adam Commens (chosen for the role by his peers to represent high performance and coaching staff), as well as FIH Executive Board Member Maureen Craig-Rousseau, a member of the Jury of Appeal at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Voting
Votes from National Associations count for 50% of the overall result. Each NA will be granted two votes per gender, which will come from the national team captain and head coach.
Five-A-Side Women Hockey Championship next month
ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL
Islamabad (August 20, 2021):-The first Five-A-Side Women's Hockey Championship will be commenced from September 7 under the banner of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) at National Hockey Stadium Lahore. As many as five provincial and four departmental teams will take part in the three-day championship that will conclude on September 10, 2021.
According to media spokesman for PHF, the PHF Women's Hockey Activity Event will be played from September 7 to 10 at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore. Nine teams including Punjab, Khyber Pukhtunkawa (KPK), Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad, Pakistan Army, WAPDA, Railways and Higher Education Commission (HEC) will compete for the title.
Only Under-25 players will be eligible to participate in the event. Women hockey players under the age of 25 by January 1, 2021 will be able to participate in the PHF Five-A-Side Women's Hockey Championship. Each team will consist of nine players and two team officials. The participating teams have been instructed by the PHF to bring the original identification documents of the players.
AZADI HOCKEY CUP: NBP snatch the title
ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL
Rawalpindi (August 15, 2021):-National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) overcame WAPDA on penalty shoot-outs in the final of Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup 2021 on Sunday, as the final was leveled 2-2 after four quarters game at Ayub Hockey Ground Rawalpindi. Federal Minister graced the final as chief gust and distributed the prizes among the players and officials.
Teams:
Pool (A):
WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Pakistan Army
Pool (B):
National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Air Force (POA), Punjab
Schedule & Results:
August 8, 2021 (Day-1):
WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 2-1
NBP beat Pakistan Air Force 3-2
Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum Company 2-1
August 9, 2021 (day-2)
SSGC Vs Punjab 2-2 Draw
Army Vs MPCL 3-3 Draw
WAPDA beat Navy 1-0
August 10, 2021 (day-3)
PAF beat Punjab 5-1
NBP beat SSGC 4-3
August 12, 2021 (day-4):
NBP beat Punjab 6-2
SSGC Vs PAF 1-1
Navy beat Army 4-2
WAPDA Vs MPCL 0-0
August 13, 2021 (Day-5)
1st Semifinal: Pakistan WAPDA beat PAF 5-0.
2nd Semifinal: NBP beat Navy on penalty shootout (2-1) Match was leveled 1-1 after four quarters
August 15, 2021 (Day-6)
NBP beat WAPDA on Penalty Shootout 4-2
Azadi Hockey Cup: WAPDA and NBP set to meet in final on Sunday
ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL
Rawalpindi (August 13, 2021):-Pakistan WAPDA and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) set to meet in the final of Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup 2021 on Sunday, after beating Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Navy in the semifinals respectively under the floodlights at Mari Petroleum Astroturf Hockey Stadium Ayub Park on Friday evening.
In the first semifinal, WAPDA outplayed 5-0 to Pakistan Navy, as the winners took good start and scored four goals in first quarters. Fifth goal was scored in the last quarter of the match. PAF failed to open the account despite of getting couple of penalty corners. Aleem Usman scored two goals while Ali Aziz, Mubashir Ali and Ijaz Ahmed scored each one goal.
Later, in the second semifinal both teams NBP and Navy players displayed excellent skills of game and showed quality game of hockey. Navy got the lead when Akbar Ali netted the ball on the second penalty corner. They maintained the lead next two quarters. But in the last quarter Dilbar Hussain received a beautiful pass from right side by Abubakar and help NBP to make 1-1 draw. On penalty shoot-out NBP won the match 2-1.
Teams:
Pool (A):
WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Pakistan Army
Pool (B):
National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Air Force (POA), Punjab
Schedule & Results:
August 8, 2021 (Day-1):
WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 2-1
NBP beat Pakistan Air Force 3-2
Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum Company 2-1
August 9, 2021 (day-2)
SSGC Vs Punjab 2-2 Draw
Army Vs MPCL 3-3 Draw
WAPDA beat Navy 1-0
August 10, 2021 (day-3)
PAF beat Punjab 5-1
NBP beat SSGC 4-3
August 12, 2021 (day-4):
NBP beat Punjab 6-2
SSGC Vs PAF 1-1
Navy beat Army 4-2
WAPDA Vs MPCL 0-0
August 13, 2021 (Day-5)
1st Semifinal: Pakistan WAPDA beat PAF 5-0.
2nd Semifinal: NBP beat Navy on penalty shootout (2-1) Match was leveled 1-1 after four quarters
August 15, 2021 (Day-6)
Third place match
Navy Vs PAF
Final
NBP Vs WAPDA
Message from FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra
SPORTS DESK
Islamabad (August 13, 2021):- FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra says in his message, “Dear Members of the global hockey community, dear hockey fans, dear all,
As the Games of the 32nd Olympiad have just come to an end, I would like to share a couple of words with you to reflect on the amazing experience we’ve just been through.
First and foremost, I have no words to express gratitude on behalf of myself and that of the global hockey community to the Japanese authorities, the Japanese Organising Committee and the International Olympic Committee for having, despite these unprecedented times of pandemic, successfully managed to deliver a truly magnificent Olympic Games Tokyo 2020!
For these organizations to have delivered such an outstanding Olympic Games is, quite simply, a phenomenal achievement.
From our side, we’ve seen top-class hockey and incredible matches, despite preparations which were made far more challenging than usual because of the COVID-19 crisis. In this regard, I’d like to thank wholeheartedly all teams for being such great ambassadors of our sport, even in such difficult circumstances.
Teams from four different continents were involved in the semi-finals. This is a major step for the globalisation of our game, which is such an important factor for its development worldwide.
Special congratulations to all Medallists! This achievement will embellish your lives for ever!
My thanks also go to the umpires and officials. Let’s all remember that they are volunteers, who dedicate a huge part of their precious leisure time for hockey. This is out of pure passion and commitment, something I think is remarkable.
Of course, I’d like to address, from the bottom of my heart, sincerest thanks to the people of Japan, and especially the volunteers. Everyone coming from abroad, from athletes to officials, have been impressed – and surely marked for ever – by their hospitality and friendliness. THANK YOU, JAPAN!
Last but not least, a big thanks to all hockey fans around the world who’ve followed the matches on TV or shared posts on social media. From wherever you are, your support has been felt up to Tokyo!
Of course, hockey never stops! Either now or in a few weeks’ time, you will be on the pitch again, practicing, playing competitive matches, or helping your club, your National Association, etc … And this is great! But for the moment, let’s take the time to look back, relive and appreciate the wonderful time which the Tokyo 2020 hockey events have given us.
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