09 Nov, 2024 On the occasion of the 49th FIH Statutory Congress taking place in Muscat, Oman, on 9 November 2024, Tayyab Ikram was re-elected as FIH President. Reacting to his re-election, he said: “My heart is full of gratitude for the trust you’ve placed in me. Many of you have told me that a lot has been achieved in the last 2 years, and that FIH is now much closer to you. However, today, I feel that this is my first day. You’ve given me a new start! I will continue this journey. It will be a time of engagement, a time of empowerment. Athletes are, and will remain, my first priority. They need to be at the centre of everything FIH does.” Danae Andrada (URU), Alberto Daniel Budeisky (ARG) and Erik Cornelissen (NED) were re-elected and Katrin Kauschke (GER) elected as Ordinary Members of the FIH Executive Board. Before the election, Hazel Kennedy (ZAM) and Deon James Morgan (RSA) withdrew their candidature. As an additional sign confirming the steady growth of hockey worldwide, the Congress approved the application of no less than 6 new members, namely Bahrain, Chad, Curacao, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan and Senegal. This brings the overall number of FIH members to 146. In his President’s report at the beginning of proceedings, Tayyab Ikram tackled numerous key strategic priorities, such as the FIH empowerment and engagement strategy, athletes’ welfare, hockey development or events. He highlighted specifically some of the major accomplishments of FIH since the last Congress: Governance: FIH advancing in 5th ASOIF Review Events: Junior World Cup expanding to 24 teams; Nations Cup and Nations Cup 2 introduced, Hockey5s World Cup with much enhanced accessibility Engagement: National Associations Summits Commercial: Partnerships with Hero MotoCorp, Nike and Laureus Social media performance during the Olympic Games Paris 2024: 31 million video views, 225.000 new followers and 125 million impressions Sustainability: FIH winning 2024 IOC Climate Action Award Olympic Solidarity: 60+ projects totaling over USD 2 million The FIH President also announced the launch of a global mental health project for athletes, as well as the launch of athletes and development portals on FIH.hockey. Other decisions: The FIH audited accounts were submitted to Congress and subsequently approved The appointment of Eduardo Mario Guelfand (Argentina) as Judicial Commission President was ratified The recipients of Awards – including FIH Awards, FIH President’s Awards and Order of Merit, amongst others – were revealed (see full list of recipients here). At the start of today’s Congress, IOC President Thomas Bach addressed the delegates specifically, via a video message. For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website. #HockeyInvites #HockeyEquals

July 10, 2024 As he was in Amsterdam, Netherlands, recently to attend the last matches of the fifth edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH President Tayyab Ikram participated in the General Assembly of the Dutch Hockey Federation (KNHB) clubs. In his address to the more than 300 clubs belonging to KNHB’s club structure, the FIH President touched upon a wide range of key strategic topics for hockey and its development, and thanked the clubs for the invaluable support that, through their remarkable efforts and dedication, they’re providing to their communities. One of his major focus points was about the way the hockey community presents the sport and its ability to be even more appealing for future generations. “We must look very carefully at the expectations of the youth towards sports. This is fundamental for the future of hockey. Clubs have a major role to play in this regard,” President Ikram said. “Providing a safe environment for children, ensuring to spend enough time with them to socialize, taking appropriate measures to protect mental health are absolute ‘must-do’ for clubs. It’s a matter of respect for the kids in the first place, and crucial to maintain our appeal as a sport too,” he continued. President Ikram emphasized that mental health should be taken into consideration with a more professional approach. Creating a secure and positive environment helps address the challenges our youth face today. The FIH President went on by requesting from club leaders to ensure that young athletes always feel well whenever they’re playing hockey, as this will help them grow not only as players but also as individuals. This, in turn, is beneficial for everyone, including the clubs themselves. He expressly tasked KNHB to embrace this as a major project. Another crucial topic mentioned by the FIH President was inclusion and diversity. He encouraged all clubs to have a more diversified approach: “Please engage with less privileged people, children, or communities. KNHB is already doing a great job with its Foundation; clubs should also start individual initiatives.” President Ikram also highlighted the importance of sustainability within the hockey community. He noted that clubs should leverage the involvement of parents to provide a positive impact on the kids. This involvement is beneficial for the children’s development. Engaging parents in club activities creates opportunities for discussions on club values and community mental health. He further stressed that training is more important than traditional education in the context of sports. “Don’t teach; they learn. Our priority should be to make individuals ready for the future. Whatever is required, clubs should be able to cater to those needs.” With less than a month to go to the next Olympiad, the General Assembly took place, quite symbolically, in the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium that was built for the 1928 Olympic Games. The legacy of the Olympics and recent events serve as reminders of the ongoing commitment to sports excellence and the need to continuously support our athletes. In conclusion, President Ikram reiterated the importance of the club’s role in promoting mental health awareness, sustainability, and the rights of athletes as we look forward to events like the FIH Hockey World Cup in 2026. The focus remains on creating a supportive and inclusive environment for all athletes. Source: FIH.hockey

06 Jun, 2024 Exactly a year ago at the Olympic House in Lausanne, FIH and its President, Tayyab Ikram, launched the International Hockey Federation’s first ever “Empowerment and Engagement” strategy, in attendance of IOC President Thomas Bach. The FIH President takes stock of the first twelve months of the implementation of this strategy aimed at boosting the global development of hockey.   President Ikram, why was it essential to launch this strategy? This strategy is both the outcome of a process and an initiative. The global status of hockey today shows that it is very diverse. And there are many “unasked” questions by our National Associations (NAs) that, thanks to my long experience in development, I am able to hear. NAs wanted to hear how relevant FIH is for them, and how relevant they are for FIH. So, based on my own analysis and on the feedback received from National Associations, I came to the conclusion that we absolutely had to come up with a plan that better serves today’s needs of ALL hockey stakeholders. In your numerous interactions with the National Associations, what are the main areas that they’ve identified where they need most support or guidance? They would like to get better facilities to play. We showcase international hockey being performed on top surfaces but what about the young kids of developing countries where there is sometimes no hockey pitch at all? Similarly, the question of hockey equipment comes regularly. How can they attract the young generation? Today, everything is around lifestyle. So, using second-hand equipment is no longer enough. A kid having a colourful stick in the hands feels like driving a luxury car! The world has changed completely, so we need to cope with the time.   Then, there is the question of how best to use the time spent playing hockey. Is it quality time? This is where FIH comes into play, helping NAs to grow the young generation both as athletes and individuals. In particular, by providing a pathway to competition as a motivation for young athletes. If they don’t end up playing a competition, then the process will be much slower. NAs are also looking to be more empowered, have resources to travel, safe and advanced teaching environment for children, guidance to provide roadmaps to their Sports Ministries and National Olympic Committees, and so on and so forth. FIH is committed to assist them! And what do athletes tell you when you meet them? It’s our duty to meet and listen to the athletes. They have a different perspective, and a very important and helpful one! Their opinions sometimes can matter more than the sports leaders’. They tell things in a direct and transparent way, outlining issues linked to the hockey schedule – some feel there is too much hockey for them, some feel they still need more opportunities to play -, coaching, officiating, the rules of hockey, etc …   We need to empower them, help them be not only hockey athletes but also strong individuals for society, educate them about their rights and how best they can use those, support them in their transition from hockey to the professional world, etc. In some countries, the only voice is the coach. This has to change, in order to provide a balance. How can bigger NAs support less privileged ones? That is my dream, in fact! It is happening a bit, but not that much … We need to tell the bigger NAs that this is also part of their social responsibility. We started some twinning projects in the past but it was no longer the focus in recent years and it’s now again on my agenda. For example, I was recently in Australia and Hockey Australia told me that they felt global hockey needs a stronger Pakistan. Following that, I had a really good meeting with Australia’s High Commissioner in Pakistan. The geographical parameter can play a role. For example, Australia and New Zealand supporting the Pacific Islands, some bigger NAs in Asia or Europe helping smaller ones on their continent by bringing athletes, coaches, umpires in their leagues, etc. So, this plan is in the pipeline, and a well-placed item of our Empowerment and Engagement strategy! Do you think Hockey5s can be a game-changer for the growth of our sport? I believe so! And I think we proved that with the first ever FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Oman in January. It never happens in hockey that you have 32 national teams, very diverse, in just one city, with six of them playing their first-ever FIH Hockey World Cup! That was of course a huge motivation for the smaller nations to be able to play against the likes of India or the Netherlands! Also, upon my initiative and as a sign of encouragement, teams not qualifying for the quarter finals still had a chance to compete for a trophy, namely the “Challenger Trophy”. That had a huge meaning, especially for emerging nations. Bridging the performance gap, opening up more accessibility for younger generations and developing nations, providing them with this kind of opportunities, all of that is already a game-changer. FIH events are being brought to new territories like Oman, Poland or Croatia. Does this also belong to the strategy? Absolutely! This is part of empowerment. And was never done by FIH before, although this clearly belongs to our primary mission to develop hockey in every corner of the world! Giving these NAs the experience to host professionally our top events and athletes – the feedback about the Olympic Qualifiers in Muscat was fantastic! – means that they can learn a lot. So, it’s a huge legacy! Source: FIH.hockey

03 January, 2024 FIH President, Tayyab Ikram, wishes the global hockey family a happy new year, as he reflects on the major strides made by the global hockey community both on and off the field over the past year. Watch the full video below where he also shares his vision for the upcoming Olympic year and the exciting new avenues in hockey that will be explored through 2024. Source: fih.hockey

31 August, 2023 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) was delighted to learn this week that FIH President, Tayyab Ikram, has been appointed by the International Olympic Committee’s President, Thomas Bach, to the IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission. The Olympic Solidarity Commission is responsible for defining the main courses of action and managing the activities of Olympic Solidarity, for example by approving programmes and the related budgets, and monitoring their implementation. It enjoys financial, technical and administrative autonomy, and reports to the IOC Executive Board and President, keeping them regularly informed about the main decisions taken. In a letter addressed to the FIH President, IOC President Thomas Bach wrote: “Having reviewed the composition of the IOC Commissions this year, in consultation with their respective chairs, it is a great pleasure for me to appoint you as a member of the Olympic Solidarity Commission. I thank you in advance for the valuable contribution you will provide to the work of the commission and look forward to the great pleasure of seeing you soon.” Speaking on the appointment, Mr Ikram said: “It is a great honour for me to once again serve in the IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission, which has a huge impact on the athletes and in sports overall. It is a very important responsibility that I welcome wholeheartedly. The Commission does a lot for the welfare of athletes and the development of sport in all countries which has always been a personal mission of mine as well. My goal will be to not just help our sport of hockey, but also all athletes, no matter which sport they belong to.” Source: fih.hockey