Belarus played a strong, disciplined game to overcome a battling Wales in the race for fifth place at the FIH Series Finals in Valencia. A 2-0 lead looked to be enough until Wales mounted a last-ditch effort in the final quarter, but Belarus held firm to win 2-1 and finish in fifth position. Wales finish sixth. In the earlier match, Thailand beat Namibia 2-1 to take seventh place in the competition. Highlights of an entertaining match were the two goals by Thailand’s captain Tikhampon Sakulpithak and the consistently good performance, under immense pressure, of Namibia’s goalkeeper Petro Stoffberg. Match 15 Namibia v Thailand Coming into this match playing for seventh place at the FIH Series Finals, neither team had won a match and only Namibia (FIH World Ranking:42) had scored a goal – albeit against the highest ranked team, Spain. But both teams were determined to end their tournament experience on a high and so the game was open and attacking from the first whistle. The first quarter was very much spilt between Namibia controlling the first part of the quarter and Thailand (WR:28) dominating the second. And it was Thailand who opened the scoring during that period of sustained pressure, with captain Tikhampon Sakulpithak picking up the ball on the edge of the circle and striking a fierce shot which flew past Petro Stoffberg in the Namibia goal. Thailand had a chance to increase their score at the start of the second quarter when they won their first penalty corner but Namibia’s defence was strong and they cleared well. Led by the ever-busy Magreth Mengo, Namibia sought a way to break down the Thailand defence and create their own scoring opportunities. That chance came with Namibia’s first penalty corner of the match but the shot was chased down. A second corner was awarded but Thailand were not letting their lead slip easily and they were soon playing the ball in the Namibia half again. As the half continued, so Thailand began to look more like a team with a winning mentality. The players were happy to run at the African team’s defence, with Thanaporn Tongkham and Kornkanok Sanpoung particularly causing problems in the circle. The second goal was also scored by Sakulpithak, who made a strong run around the back of the Namibian circle before unleashing a shot into the Namibian goal. The second half saw both teams determined to leave everything on the pitch. Sakulpithak came close to scoring her third goal but her shot flew over the cross bar. But, despite a lot of Thai pressure, it was Namibia who scored next. Some good pressure around the Thailand circle saw Joane van Rooyen start the move that led to the goal. Her pass found Dure Boshoff who showed tremendous strength to keep possession and slip to Kiana-Che Cormack. The 17-year-old made certain that her shot was buried in Siraya Yimrajang’s goal to make it 2-1. “We are disappointed with that loss because we wanted to go out with a win and get our rankings high,” said Jerrica Bartlett, “But we fought until the end and our scoreline in the past few games do not reflect what we played like. We are a young side, our average age is 18, so this is an awesome experience. All we can do is grow from here.” Bartlett’s sister, Kiana-Che Cormack added: “Scoring felt amazing. It doesn’t happen often when you are the lowest-ranked team in the tournament. It was a tough match, so scoring kept us in the match.” Double goalscorer Tikhamporn Sakulpithak said: “I am very proud of the team. We played really well and I was very pleased to score the goals but it was a great effort by everyone in the team.” Supansa Samanso added: “The first feeling was that we had to win that game. We wanted to leave the FIH Series Final with a win. For future tournaments, we have learnt that when we go into the lead we have to keep pushing for more goals.” Namibia 1, Thailand 2 (7/8th play-off) Umpires: Dahiya Deepa (IND), Ines El Hajim (FRA)  Match 16 Wales v Belarus In the battle for fifth place Belarus (WR:20) looked the stronger team in the opening stages, creating more attacking opportunities. But Wales (WR:27) had learnt a lot about defending under pressure from their encounter with Spain the previous day and, in those early exchanges, the team broke down the Belarus attack and played the ball calmly out of their defending circle. It was Wales who won the first penalty corner but their usual slick routine fell down under the strong running of the Belarus defence. The second quarter took a similar pattern as the Belarus team looked to swing the ball swiftly and strongly around the pitch, while Wales defended with huge amounts of discipline and then looked to catch their higher-ranked opponents on the break. Belarus continued to push and their persistence paid off as they won two consecutive penalty corners. The second of these was well-converted by Krestina Papkova to give Belarus a 1-0 lead. It also moved the talented goalscorer to the top of the goalscoring table. Urged forward by hard-working captain Leah Wilkinson, who recently became her country’s highest capped sports player, Wales won their second penalty corner. Again, the usually reliable not-so-secret weapon let the team down and Belarus was able to counter attack with a speedy surge up the pitch by Ulyana Kasabutskaya. Xenna Hughes was the next to show a devastating turn of speed. The attacking midfielder tore up the pitch but her cross was cut out by Maryna Navitskaya in the Belarus goal. The game definitely turned the way of Belarus just ahead of the half-time break. A penalty corner was awarded and Maryna Nikitsina was on hand to volley the ball home. In the second half, Wales tried everything they could to break the stranglehold that Belarus had upon the game. Two searching crosses by, first Eloise Laity and then Wilkinson, would

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Two tasty semi-finals await in Valencia as the final FIH Series Finals event moves towards its concluding stages. A confident and disciplined Italy saw off the challenge of Belarus to set up a match with in-form Canada, while host nation Spain will play South Africa after a tenacious display that saw the top-ranked team emerge 1-0 winners against a gritty Welsh side. The result means Belarus and Wales will play off for fifth place in tomorrow’s second match of the day. Match 13 Italy v Belarus The opening exchanges between the two sides were well-balanced although Italy (WR:17) looked the more composed. And it was Italy who created the early chances; first a penalty corner shot from captain Chiara Tiddi that flew wide and then a diving effort from Ivana Pessina, which was well-saved by Maryna Navitskaya in the Belarus (WR:20) goal. The next Italian attempt on goal came after a mazy run from Maryna Vynohradova. The Italian goal machine elected not to shoot on this occasion, passing to Jasbeer Singh. The resulting shot from Singh went just wide. Belarus for their part were playing a patient passing game. A searching aerial ball into the Italian circle upset the higher-ranked team for a moment and, among the blue-shirted ranks, was a sudden realisation that Belarus had a game-plan of their own. After that scare, Italy put together a swift passing movement that forced a penalty corner. Lara Oviedo made no mistake as she deflected the initial shot high into the Belarus goal net. The second quarter yielded no further goals as Italy looked to take the pace out of the game and Belarus were happy, at this stage, to simply contain the Italian attacks. Ryta Batura, in particular, was playing a strong defensive game to keep the Italian attack out of the circle. Italy’s goalkeeper Natalia Schinoni was called into action for the first time when Yuliya Kurhanskaya unleashed a shot that whipped at hip height at the goal. Schinoni reacted fast and the teams entered the break separated by a one goal margin. The Italian lead was doubled when Sofia Cessaneli did a neat reverse stick tap into the goal following Italy’s fourth consecutive penalty corner. The Italian side had tried three variations before a double slip left Cessanelli with the space to score. The quarter was all but over when Eugenia Bianchi was able to take the score to 3-0 and effectively put the game out of Belarus’ reach. The midfielder was on hand to flick the ball home after Navitskaya had blocked the initial penalty corner shot. The final quarter saw Elisabetta Pacella add to the Italy scoreline with a skilfully taken goal that she seemed to pluck out of mid-air before scoring on the volley. The goal symbolised the confidence with which Italy performed throughout this game. Belarus did score a consolation goal – Elena Sazhina was on hand to send the ball past Schinoni after sustained Belarus pressure in the final 10 minutes. Despite his pleasure that his side scored, the goal left Head Coach Herman Kruis wondering why his side hadn’t been able to produce such hockey earlier in the match. “I am really disappointed as we haven’t played the game we can play,” said the Head Coach. “There were a lot of technical mistakes which meant that Italy could press us easily. Also, Italy were much more innovative in the ‘D’.” Captain of Italy, Chiara Tiddi said “When we played in the World Cup we gained the confidence and belief that we can play anyone. I think we learnt then that we need to play every minute of every game and in the crucial game, such as today, we were calm and confident.” The result means Italy will face Canada in the first semi-final on Wednesday. Italy 4, Belarus 1 (cross-over match) Umpires: Gabriele Schmitz (GER), Catalina Montesino (CHI)  Match 14 Spain v Wales With 20 places separating Spain (WR:7) and Wales (WR:27), this could have been a one-sided show. The coaching team of Kevin Johnson and Gareth Weaver-Tyler and their team had other ideas however and from the first whistle the Welsh were happy to take the game to the World Cup bronze medalists – defending with courage and counter-attacking when the chance arose. But Spain are not ranked top-10 for nothing and soon the Red Sticks were piling on the pressure and eventually the Welsh wall was breached. The goal was fortuitous for Spain. Rose Thomas made a great reaction save but the ball bounced off a player, off the post and Lucia Jimenez found herself on the score sheet with the most unlikeliest of goals. For those opening moments there was little doubt about the Spanish intention. Wave after wave of speedy attack saw Thomas called into action time and again. The danger player, among many, was Beatriz Perez, her devastating turn of speed left players trailing in her wake. However, despite sustained pressure, the first quarter saw only the one goal. If the first quarter had been played at a ferocious intensity that had put Wales under the cosh, the second quarter was far more about the Welsh passing game. It was Spain’s turn to defend as Wales showed their own attacking instincts – Danni Jordan and Hannah Cozens were particularly busy as they tried to find an equaliser. Towards the end of the quarter, a lovely aerial ball from Joanne Westwood released Cozens down the right-hand side of the Welsh attack. A scurrying Spanish defence kept the Welsh striker at bay. The importance of Georgina Oliver at the heart of the Spanish defence was highlighted during this period of pressure. The midfield/defender emerged with the ball time and again, using all her experience to set up counter-attacks. If Spain were expecting the Wales team to eventually wilt under the pressure then the third quarter showed just what level of resilience the Welsh side has developed in recent months. Thomas is absolutely essential to this, her calm presence and agility

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Lausanne, Switzerland: With more hockey National Associations involved every year, the hockey community has greatly supported and celebrated the 2019 Olympic Day all over the world. From Asia to Africa, Europe to Oceania, North to South America, more than 60 National Associations have organized specific activities on the occasion of Olympic Day. Throughout last week, FIH.ch has embarked you on a journey highlighting some of these projects: – On the Pan American continent, the Chilean Hockey Federation is starting an initiative to introduce hockey to young people with physical and learning disabilities. The initiative is being launched through four workshops across the country, where people of all abilities can join together and spend a day playing hockey. The workshops are being run by experienced coaches and all the participants – with or without disabilities – are enjoying a day of fun, entertaining and educational hockey activities. – In Europe, the Czech Republic Hockey Association is using the occasion to showcase the diversity and global nature of hockey. International schools are competing in a tournament, running alongside the schools’ competition. Additionally, there is a Beach Hockey tournament. This represents innovation within the sport. The message: you don’t need a state-of-art artificial turf to play hockey, a pitch marked out on the beach can be equally fun and exciting. – Schools across Zimbabwe, in Africa, are combining sport and art in celebration of Olympic Day. Pupils of all age groups are being encouraged to design a poster as the Zimbabwe Hockey Association pulls out all the stops to raise awareness among children of both the message and ideals of the Olympic movement as well as the inclusivity of hockey as a sport for all. – In Tonga, Oceania, it’s all about the role that hockey can play in promoting a healthy lifestyle. Many of the activities focus on primary school children, with the idea that encouraging an active lifestyle from an early age will develop habits that last a lifetime. Also, a strong message is sent surrounding the #EquallyAmazing campaign. In a country where many young girls and women do little sporting activity, this is a chance to change that. – In Asia, the Afghanistan Hockey Association has ambitions to restore hockey’s popularity in the country and is using Olympic Day as a vehicle to do this. The Association is looking to use hockey as a tool for peace and a means of rebuilding society. It was 73 years ago that Afghanistan was one of the top 10 hockey nations in the world. Since then, wars and civil unrest have meant that the sport has drifted out of public consciousness and the national men’s team now sits at 91 in the FIH World Rankings, while the women have no world ranking at all. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has made best use of its campaign “Sticks for the World” to have sticks donated to young hockey players by elite players involved in the FIH Series Finals in Hiroshima, Japan, and Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France, as well as in the Women’s FIH Pro League match USA-Germany, therefore supporting activities to grow hockey. In Le Touquet, sticks were donated to Senegal, the host of the next Youth Olympic Games in 2022. FIH is currently developing a Targeted Assistance Progamme (TAP) in the West African country. As part of FIH’s Hockey4Life global development programme, “Sticks for the World” contributes to source equipment to hockey development projects all around the world. On Olympic Day itself (23 June), the captains of the teams of all FIH Pro League matches of that day – Belgium-Argentina (Men and Women), Great Britain–New Zealand (Men and Women) and Netherlands–Australia (Women) – read the following message just before the start of each match: “Today is Olympic Day, an initiative from the International Olympic Committee for the world to get active, learn about the Olympic values and discover new sports. The International Hockey Federation, whose global Hockey4LIFE programme encourages people of all ages to START, PLAY and STAY in hockey, supports this initiative. So does the global hockey community by organising multiple projects all over the world. We, as athletes, encourage you, your families and friends, to do sports.” In Paris, in view of the 2024 Olympic Games, the French Hockey Federation was part of the Olympic Day event staged on Place de la Concorde with an artificial turf pitch of 10m x 20m and a visual placed near the pitch explaining the rules of the game. During the day, several hockey exercises were proposed to the public and a demonstration match of 3vs3 took place. #OlympicDay

The climax to a wonderful, action-packed first edition of the FIH Pro League – the ground-breaking home and away league involving many of the world’s leading hockey nations – will take place in the Netherlands later this week, with Amsterdam’s iconic Wagener Stadium providing the stage for the FIH Pro League Grand Final. The event features the top four finishers from both the women’s and men’s leagues, with the teams taking to the field between 27-30 June in a bid to make history by becoming the first ever champions of this pioneering competition. The women’s semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Thursday 27 June, with two-time world champions Argentina (FIH World Ranking: 4) facing triple Olympic champions Australia (WR:3) at 1715 CEST (UTC/GMT+2) before reigning world champions and FIH Pro League table toppers the Netherlands (WR:1) play Germany (WR:5), bronze medallists from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, at 2000. The winners of the women’s semi-finals will meet in the title match on Saturday 29 June, with the losing teams playing in the 3-4 play-off. The men’s semi-finals – which were finally settled in a thrilling day of action on Sunday 23 June – take place on Friday 28 June, with table-toppers Australia (WR:2) facing fourth place finishers Great Britain (WR:7) at 1715 ahead of a meeting between world champions Belgium (WR:1) and European champions the Netherlands (WR:3), who finished second and third in the standings respectively. The winners of the men’s semi-finals will meet in the title match on Sunday 30 June, with the losing teams playing in the 3-4 play-off. The eight competing teams have all demonstrated their qualities by consistently getting the required results over nearly six months of competition that have seen over 120 matches take place in Pan America, Oceania, Asia and Europe. As well as securing qualification for this event, their consistency also saw all eight teams take a significant step towards the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 thanks to the tickets to the FIH Olympic Qualifiers – which take place later this year – that came with a top four finish. A look at each of the teams taking part in the semi-final matches can be found below, with a complete list of fixtures for the four-day showpiece available here. 27 June 2019: Women’s semi-finals SF2: Argentina (2nd FIH Pro League) vs Australia (3rd FIH Pro League) Following a disappointing 2018, the return of two iconic figures at the start of 2019 has triggered a renaissance for Argentina. Charismatic tactician Carlos Retegui – who guided Argentina’s men to Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and also Las Leonas to World Cup glory in 2010 – has restored self-belief, while Carla Rebecchi’s comeback after two-and-a-half years has also played a big role in revival. Rebecchi, Rosario Luchetti and goalkeeper Belen Succi have masses of world level experience, while Maria Granatto, Florencia Habif and Lucina von der Heyde – named Best Young Player at the World Cup in London – have all been outstanding performers this year. Even without injured star striker Delfina Merino, Argentina will feel that they have every chance of achieving glory at the Wagener Stadium. Australia are the only team to have beaten reigning world champions the Netherlands in this competition, with combative midfielder Jane Claxton scoring the only goal of the game when the two sides met in Melbourne in February. Whilst the team coached by former Kookaburra Paul Gaudoin have been good at home, their away form has been exceptional, claiming victories in New Zealand, USA, China, Great Britain and Germany. Savannah Fitzpatrick has top-scored for her team in the FIH Pro League, while the form of shot-stopper Rachael Lynch is likely to put her amongst the frontrunners for the Best Goalkeeper award. The team are certainly not short of confidence and will believe that anything is possible when they take to the field in Amsterdam. SF1: Netherlands (1st FIH Pro League) vs Germany (4th FIH Pro League) Reigning world and European champions the Netherlands – coached by former Australia international Alyson Annan, a double Olympic gold medallist and twice FIH Player of the Year – have been consistently brilliant, recovering from an early loss against Australia in Melbourne by recording a succession of victories to qualify for the Grand Final with consummate ease. Lidewij Welten, captain Eva de Goede and Xan de Waard – all shortlisted for the FIH Player of the Year Award 2018, with De Goede taking the prize – have been exceptional, while Frederque Matla and penalty corner ace Caia van Maasakker have been prolific in front of goal. The Oranje are unquestionably the team to beat in Amsterdam, and it will take something truly extraordinary to stop them winning the inaugural FIH Pro League title. Germany have produced some terrific performances on the way to sealing a top four finish in the FIH Pro League, with impressive away wins against New Zealand, Great Britain, Belgium and USA adding valuable points to the five victories they secured on home soil. Captain Janne Müller-Wieland, Lena Micheel, Elisa Gräve, Nike Lorenz and goalkeeper Julia Sonntag have all been excellent performers for Die Danas this year. Star attacker Charlotte Stapenhorst has been arguably Germany’s most influential player in the competition, but a serious knee injury sustained in her side’s recent home defeat against Australia has ruled her out of the Grand Final. The team are coached by Xavier Reckinger, who as a player made over 300 international appearances for Belgium. 28 June 2019: Men’s semi-finals SF1: Australia (1st FIH Pro League) vs Great Britain (4th FIH Pro League) Australia – coached by former Kookaburra Colin Batch, a gold medallist at the 1986 FIH Men’s World Cup in Willesden, England – secured a first-place finish by winning ten of their 14 matches, recording notable away wins over world champions Belgium, Olympic champions Argentina and European champions the Netherlands. The Kookaburras squad is packed full of quality and experience. The 350 capped Eddie Ockenden co-captains the team alongside influential defender /

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France were crowned champions of the third and final FIH Men’s Series Finals in le Touquet Paris-Plage after they defeated higher-ranked Ireland in a fast paced and entertaining match. A large and vociferous crowd urged the home side to victory and the men in blue delivered. Earlier in the day, Korea had put on a dominant display to beat Scotland by a comprehensive 5-0 score-line. The results mean that France and Ireland finished first and second respectively and will go to the FIH Olympic qualifiers in October and November. Korea finished third and Scotland fourth. Korea v Scotland The seventh and last day of the FIH Men’s Series Finals in France started with the classification match between the defeated semi-finalists Korea and Scotland. Both teams were looking to finish their FIH Series Finals campaign with a win, a respectable third place and, importantly, world ranking points. It is was a fiercely competitive first quarter, although neither team could find a way through to goal. Korea could count themselves unlucky as they hit the post, but that was the nearest either team came to scoring. The previous day’s disappointment was taking its toll on both teams and the players seemed to be lacking energy in those opening minutes. David Forrester, the Scottish goalkeeper, was the busiest of the two goalkeepers in the second quarter but, although he saved several earlier attempts, he could do nothing about Jeon Byungjin’s perfectly executed shot. Korea went into the half-time break 1-0  up. One minute into the second half, Korea’s captain Lee Namyong scored a stunning second goal. Scotland fought back but were sometimes a little wasteful in front of goal and this was their downfall. The third goal for the Asian team came from a penalty corner, which Jang Jonghyun converted with a fast and low shot. Kim Sunghyun added to the score with a well-worked goal that involved some good team passing. Scotland’s woes increased when Jang Jonghyun scored his second penalty corner to give his side an unassailable 5-0 lead. The result means Korea finish in third position and Scotland fourth in the third and final FIH Men’s Series Finals. Korea captain Lee Namyong said: “It was good winning today. We have finished the competition well so we are all happy!” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Korea 5, Scotland 0 Umpires: Michiel Otten (NED), Nick Bennett (ENG) ********** Ireland v France  Both Ireland and France had topped their respective pools on route to the semi-finals and final of this competition, so the spectators knew they were in for a showpiece match between two teams in good form. Urged on by a vociferous crowd, France went on the attack as they heaped pressure on the Ireland defence. Only another outstanding performance from David Harte in the Ireland goal withstood the early pressure. Eventually something had to give and it was Blaise Rogeau who absolutely smashed the ball from the top of the circle to beat Harte and give Les Bleus the lead. Ireland came back into the game just before the end of the quarter when Sean Murray danced his way through the defence to score the equaliser. The second quarter continued at the same breathless level of intensity and, again, it was France who made pressure pay. Victor Charlet converted a penalty corner and the first half ended ‘advantage France’. Charlet doubled his tally five minutes into the second half. It was from another penalty corner and Charlet’s stunning shot momentarily silenced the crowds of spectators. As the centre pass was taken, the support from the French part of the stands was ear-splitting. Ireland never gave up on the match and chased envy last ball but this was France’s day. The icing on the cake came when Victor Charlet was revealed as the tournament’s top goal scorer and his team mate Charles Masson was voted Best Player. Victor Charlet said: “It is an awesome feeling to win this tournament in France. It was important for us to win in order to confirm the progress French hockey is making. It is something we showed at the World Cup and we have continued to show progress here.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Ireland 1, France 3 Umpires: Diego Paul Walker (ENG), Fraser Bell (SCO) ********** Individual Awards: Best Player – Charles Masson (FRA) Best Junior Player – Cameron Golden (SCO) Best Goalkeeper – Kim Jaehyeon (KOR) Top Scorers: Shane O’Donoghue (IRE) Victor Charlet (FRA) Jang Jonghyun (KOR) #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) HAS OFFICIALLY INAUGURATED ITS NEW HEADQUARTERS ON 23 JUNE DURING THE CELEBRATION OF OLYMPIC DAY. IN 2019 THIS SYMBOLIC DAY MARKED THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CREATION OF THE IOC. The inauguration of Olympic House was the culmination of a journey that started back in 2012 when the IOC decided to move ahead with the consolidation of its head office. Olympic House is a privately funded investment in sustainability. The sustainability approach is threefold: It has the strong ambition to meet the most demanding sustainability standards both locally and internationally. It has been designed as a sustainable building in terms of both construction and operations, with special efforts put into energy and water efficiency, waste reduction and landscape integration. It aims to regroup all IOC staff in one location, resulting in cost savings and increased collaboration. It also represents an investment by the IOC in the local economy and development. Eighty per cent of the construction costs have been spent with local companies hence contributing to the development of local competencies. Developed by Danish architecture firm 3XN, Olympic House will allow the IOC to bring together its staff – 500 employees currently spread across Lausanne in four locations – under one roof at a single site. Selected by the IOC in April 2014 after an international architecture competition, 3XN partnered with Swiss architects IttenBrechbühl to oversee the construction of the project. From 23 June onwards, the IOC will benefit from two Olympic centres in Lausanne: Olympic House in Vidy to cater for its administration and offer a welcoming meeting place for all its stakeholders; and The Olympic Museum and the Olympic Studies Centre in Ouchy to host the general public. IOC/ADAM MORK With this new building, the IOC confirms its attachment to Lausanne, the Olympic Capital. Developed in close consultation with the local authorities, Olympic House will offer the region an emblematic architectural landmark and become an important element of the local Louis Bourget public park, which welcomes a diverse group of visitors every year. Olympic House is a unique example of innovative collaboration between many different stakeholders, including the IOC, some of its Worldwide Olympic Partners (Dow, Toyota and Panasonic), the architects 3XN and IttenBrechbühl, sustainability certification bodies, local authorities, suppliers and academics.

Hiroshima, Japan: In the match for third place, Chile and Russia entertained the spectators with a tightly contested and exciting game. Although Russia showed enormous resilience to get the game back on equal terms, it was Chile who held their nerve to win in the shoot-out, finishing their FIH Series Finals campaign on a high note. The final turned to a celebration among the home crowds as India showed why they are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.The Eves defeated the Cherry Blossoms Chile – Russia Russia came to this event as one of the lower-ranked teams (FIH World Ranking: 25) but at this event they have showed a huge amount of fighting spirit and the ability to win important matches. In the match for third place they faced Chile (WR:16), another team that is moving up the rankings and challenging for medals at international tournaments. Chile began the match at a high tempo and were rewarded when Manuela Lagos was able to find Consuelo de la Heras with a great pass. De la Heras made no mistake as she fired her team into the lead. That lead was doubled just before the end of the quarter through Denise Krimerman. The penalty corner specialist fired home an unstoppable shot and the team from South America looked to be heading for a comfortable win. We have learnt at this tournament never to write Russia off and so it proved again. Just before the end of the second quarter Russia won a penalty corner, which Alina Khalimova converted with a sliding deflected shot. Much like the first half, Chile began the second 30 minute period at a high tempo and again it was Consuelo de la Heras who scored to put her team 3-1 up. In response, Mariia Bordolimova sent a low shot into the Chile goal to keep Russia in the game at 3-2. In the final quarter, it was a feeling of “déjà-vu” for Chile as Russia equalised through Dayana Yushkova. The goal must have been a huge blow to Chile as the team slumped to the pitch at the final whistle and had to gather their thoughts and prepare themselves for the shoot-out. But Chile are a team that are developing a strong mental mindset and, in the shoot-out, the Diablas (as Chile are nicknamed), dominated proceedings to win 3-1 and take third place. Russia assistant coach Moses Lodarmasse: “We didn’t start well because of the game of yesterday against Japan, but I must say that when we were losing 3-1 and came back, the Russian mentality came back and we should have finished it in the game. We were better in the last part but it’s a pity we didn’t score.” Chile team captain Camila Caram: “During the shoot-out session, I think we were downhearted, but we have played them well, we had studied them before hand and we are very, very happy with how we performed in the shoot-out.” ****** FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima, 2019 Result 3/4 play-off: Chile 3 (3), Russia 3 (1) Umpires: Chieko Soma (JPN), Rhiannon Murrie (AUS) ****** India – Japan And so at last the final. It was an all-Asian clash between two emerging giants of the game. India had won all their games to this point but Japan are always a side to be reckoned with. The stadium rang out with vocal and enthusiastic support from both the home crowd and the sound of the “Taiko” band (Japanese traditional drums). Both teams began at a fast pace but it was India who took the lead when team captain Rani converted their first penalty corner. Japan remained calm and replied 10 minutes later. The ball was intercepted in the centre of the pitch and Mori Kanon was on hand to equalise for her side as she dribbled into the circle and wrong-footed the Indian goalkeeper. In the second quarter, India created a great chance to score but a speculative shot flew wide. Japan were working hard to keep possession but couldn’t find a way past the Indian defence. The second half was much the same as both evenly matched teams attempted to find a way to score a decisive goal. Both teams created half chances but this was a battle between two disciplined defensive teams. Eventually it was Gurjit Kaur who gave India the lead after she fired a missile of a shot into the Japanese goal. It got very heated in the final quarter as Japan sought to equalise as quickly as possible. India, for their part, counter-attacked well and won a number of penalty corners – none of which they converted. Eventually, Head Coach Anthony Farry removed the Japan goalkeeper in an effort to create a player advantage. Japan threw everything into scoring the equaliser but India were not budging. As Japan pushed and pushed, gaps appeared in the defence and India were able to capitalise. They won another penalty corner and Gurjit Kaur didn’t miss, putting the game well out of Japan’s reach. India head coach Sjoerd Marijne: “It was a tough match, we are happy with the 500 points, we came here with a mission for the 500 points, it gave us the opportunity to play home (…) I think we have defended very well and we can play fast combination hockey and we have a really good drag flick.”   Japan head coach Anthony Farry: “The girls kept going until the end, created some good chances maybe couple of things didn’t fall out well and that’s the beauty of sport I guess. Disappointing but we’ll come back stronger from this performance” ****** FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima, 2019 Result: India 3, Japan 1 Umpires: Cookie Tan (SGP), Mary Driscoll (USA) ****** Individual awards Best Junior Player Mariia BORDOLIMOVA (RUS) nr. 12 Best Goalkeeper Megumi KAGEYAMA (JPN) nr. 1 Hero Top scorer Gurjit KAUR (IND) nr 2 Best Player: RANI (IND) nr. 27

In these most important of matches, Ireland managed to withstand an onslaught of pressure from Korea, while France eased to a competent 3-0 victory over Scotland. The results mean that Ireland and France will now meet in tomorrow’s final and, to the delight of both teams and their staff, will be part of the FIH Olympic qualifying events in October and November. Korea and Scotland will play for third place. Ireland v Korea The numerous Irish spectators virtually turned le Touquet into a home fixture for the Green Army as they took to the field against Korea in this most important match. The winner of the semi-final match has a guaranteed place in the FIH Olympic qualifier events taking place later this year so for both Ireland (FIH World Ranking: 11) and Korea (WR:17), this match was of vital importance to their Olympic ambitions. The first quarter was a cagey affair as both teams were testing each other out. The result was 15 minutes of attack and counter-attack with few circle penetrations and fewer goals. It was Korea who struck first, through a penalty corner, which was calmly converted by Jeon Byungjin. His fierce shot flew through the legs of goalkeeper David Harte. The goal spurred Ireland into a greater level of intensity and that pressure was rewarded just ahead of the half-time whistle when Matthew Nelson was able to round Kim Jaehyon, the Korean goalkeeper and slot the ball home to bring the scores level. Just one minute into the second half and Eugene Magee used all his skill to double Ireland’s lead. Just a few seconds later Benjamin Walker scored goal number three for the top-ranked team in le Touquet. At this point of the match, Korea’s extra crossover game seemed to be taking its toll and the Asian side looked tired. However, the team rallied and Lee Seungil, used all of his experience to slam home a perfectly executed penalty corner. At 3-2, the final 15 minutes was all set to be a tense affair for both teams. With a goal advantage, Ireland were defending with gritty determination but Korea were throwing everything at them. David Harte was in the thick of the action, throwing his body around the goal to keep the Korea attack at bay. With minutes to go, Korea removed their goalkeeper to get an on-field player advantage but the plan back-fired as Ireland gained possession and Neil Glassey was able to score into an empty goal, putting the game beyond Korea’s reach. As the final whistle rang out, Ireland celebrated reaching the final and taking another step along the road to Olympic qualification. David Harte, Ireland’s goalkeeper and captain said: “We are completely delighted that we achieved our first objective, which was of course reach the finals as this will lead us to the next step on our road to Tokyo. The way we did it and the manner was just typically Irish in the sense that we dug it out. We grafted so hard at the back and ultimately we came away with a very deserved victory.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Ireland 0, Korea 0 Umpires: Nazmi Kamaruddin (MAS), Paul Walker (ENG) ********** France v Scotland  Packed stands greeted the host nation France as they entered the field of play for their semi-final match with Scotland. Opening encounters between the teams were well-matched but steadily the higher-ranked French team (WR:15) began to dominate. The first opportunity to score came from a penalty corner three minutes before the end of the quarter. Although the first attempt was well saved, France were awarded a second and Tynevez deflected Hugo Genestet’s initial shot to give his side the lead. The goal was greeted with wild cheering and “Allez les Bleues” from the home crowd. Just minutes later France doubled their lead through Blaise Rogeau – a well-taken open play goal. The second quarter saw renewed efforts from Scotland to get back into the game. Despite their best efforts, Scotland couldn’t break through the French defence. Four minutes into the second half and Victor Charlet thought he had scored the third goal. Unfortunately his effort was disallowed but not before the crowd had erupted in delight. It was French captain Hugo Genestet who scored the decisive third goal. The team was awarded a penalty stroke and Genestet mad Eno mistake as he dispatched it into the Scottish goal. As the final whistle sounded at the Field Eric Choteau, the French team and their supporters were ecstatic. For the French, the Olympic journey continues, plus in tomorrow’s final, they have a chance to seal victory over Ireland in front of a vociferous home crowd. France captain Hugot Genestet said: “We are really happy I think we controlled the game and did not leave Scotland many opportunities. We could have scored more goals but with the sun and the crowd it was a perfect day” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: France 3, Scotland 0 Umpires: Michiel Otten (NED), Nick Bennett (ENG) ********** The semi-finals day finished on a positive note full of hope ahead of the International Olympic Day as FIH Representative and Executive board member Marijke Fleuren, alongside Olivier Moreau of the French Hockey Federation handed over a collection of 113 sticks to be donated to Senegal, the host of the next Youth Olympic Games in 2022. The sticks were donated by all the team members and will help the Senegalese National Association grow the sport in the country. To support Senegal as the latest addition to the global hockey community, FIH is developing a Targeted Assistance Programme (TAP). Action continues tomorrow with:  Korea v Scotland at 15:30 CEST Ireland v France at 18:00 CEST #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

The fifth day in le Touquet Paris-Plage was all about finishing with a win. First to take to the field were Singapore and Ukraine who were battling for seventh place. Then it was a contest between Egypt and Chile – two teams who had definitely hoped to have featured in the semi-finals, so would need to recharge themselves ahead of this fixture. Singapore v Ukraine The action started with the race for seventh place between Singapore and Ukraine, who both finished last in their respective pools. Ukraine, with a FIH World Ranking of 26, were favourites to win this match, particularly as Singapore (WR: 36), had yet to score a goal in the competition. The higher-ranked team took the lead through Andrii Koshelenko who opened the scoring from the first penalty corner of the match. The second quarter was a mirror reflection of the first. Ukraine had the majority of possession and it was just five minutes into the quarter before Vitalii Shevchuk made it 2-0, latching onto a cross after some brilliant build-up play. Singapore played with much heart and determination but they were up against a team determined to leave the FIH Series Finals with a win to their credit. The third goal came nine minutes into the second half. Viacheslav Paziuk made a surging run from just past the half-way line and his cross found Lurii Moroz, who only had to tip the ball past Xuan Wee Wei in the Singapore goal. Finally, and to huge celebration, Singapore opened their scoring account. The Asian team had created a lot of opportunities in the final quarter and, after a number of penalty corners, Silas Noor was finally able to find the back of the net. Although Singapore didn’t look like turning the match around, the young team were clearly rising to the challenge and put on a good display of attacking hockey in the final minutes of the game. Ukraine’s captain, Oleksandr Diachenko, said: “It was our last match and we won! We tried to play faster with more skills. Singapore is a good team and I think in the future they will play much better.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Singapore 0, Ukraine 0 Umpires: Diego Estebanez (ESP), Kris Cholewa (IRL) ********** Chile v Egypt Chile and Egypt were both after a winning final match of their FIH Series Finals campaign. Seven minutes into the match and Ahmed Gamal gave Egypt the lead after a fantastic piece of build-up play from his team. Chile came straight back and won a penalty corner but were unable to convert it. The South American side soon made amends however. Sven Richter was on hand to tip the ball home after searching passes from his teammates had left the Egyptian defence chasing shadows. It all got very competitive in the second quarter as both teams ramped up the intensity. Chile had the greater share of possession but Egypt were also looking dangerous with every attack. It was Egypt who re-took the lead. Mohamed Edris scored from a penalty stroke. Amazingly in this see-saw game, Chile also won a penalty stroke just a minute later and Sven Richter made no mistake from the spot. The second half started at a somewhat slower pace as both teams looked for a tactical advantage. Finally, after three penalty corners, Egypt made another break through. Amr Ibrahim netted with a fierce airborne shot into Henriquez Adrian’s goal. The final quarter saw both teams once more raping up the pressure. Egypt were reduced to 10 men but Chile could not make the player advantage count. After a staunch defence for the final minutes, Egypt were able to celebrate finishing their FIH Series Finals in fifth place and with a well-deserved and hard-fought victory. Egypt scorer Ahmed Gamal said: “Chile is a really good team and, after Korea yesterday, we were very tired but thank God we won and now we look forward to the African Championship and trying to qualify for the Olympic Games” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Chile 2, Egypt 3 Umpires: Tyler Klenk (CAN), Benjamin Peters (USA) ********** There is an exciting day of action tomorrow in le Touquet as the teams will be giving their all in the semi-finals. A win tomorrow means the continuation of the Olympic journey as the two finalists will go through to one of the FIH Olympic qualifiers being held this October and November. meaning of potential qualification for the Olympic qualifier. The only exception to this is Scotland, who cannot qualify as England are the nominated team for the Great Britain Olympic pathway. Ireland v Korea at 15:30 CEST France v Scotland at 18:00 #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

Hiroshima, Japan: The fifth to eighth place positions at the FIH Series Finals were decided after two very different matches. Mexico dominated in their game against Fiji, but it was a tense and very close encounter when Poland met Uruguay. In the end, the European team held their nerve to win the shoot-out Fiji – Mexico Fiji and Mexico had lost all of their pool matches, so this was a chance to finish the competition with a win. It was a chance that Mexico took with some relish. In the first quarter, the game was tight, although Mexico had the greater share of possession. The Central American team took the lead two minutes before the end of the quarter, Fernanda Oviedo was the scorer from a penalty corner. In the second quarter Mexico continued to dominate all over the pitch, giving Fiji few opportunities to enter the circle. Mexico won four consecutive penalty corners but were unable to convert any of them. In turn, Fiji also won a penalty corner but the shot was well saved by the Mexico goalkeeper. It was into the second half before another goal was scored. This time Arlette Estrada was able to get a touch on the ball and diverted it past the ‘keeper. Minutes later Michel Navarro gave her team a 3-0 lead after flicking the ball high into Fiji’s goal. In the last quarter, Mexico’s captain Michel Navarro made the most of a quickly played counter attack, driving into the circle and shooting home. Navarro added to that tally just minutes later from a drag flick at a penalty corner.  The 5-0 win was a confidence boost for the Mexican team ahead of the Pan American Games later in the year. Fiji assistant coach Emi Nawaqakuta: “The message we want to tell the world is to never quit, no matter how much you are losing. And when you are winning you must remain humble. The girls have a fighting spirit and one of our goals is always to stay positive no matter what.”  Mexico team captain Michel Navarro: “It was better but it wasn’t enough for us, we have to train a lot and think about Pan American Games”  ****** FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima, 2019 Result: Fiji 0, Mexico 5 (Mexico finish 7th, Fiji finish 8th) Umpires: Veronica Villafane (ARG), Rhiannon Murrie (AUS) ****** Poland – Uruguay These two teams suffered disappointing losses in the previous day’s cross-over matches so it was important they were able to regroup for this classification match. In the first quarter, Uruguay quickly took the lead; good combination play leading into Poland’s circle saw Teresa Viana take the ball around the goalkeeper to open the scoring. It was Viana who doubled the lead minutes later as she deflected a reverse shot in at the ‘keeper’s far post. Uruguay kept pushing and tried to increase their lead but Poland didn’t panic and were beginning to create their own opportunities. The second quarter saw Poland start with a much higher intensity. Quick passes and fast player movement started to create gaps in the Uruguay defence. Poland reduced the deficit through Paula Wrzesinski, who intercepted a pass and rushed into the Uruguay circle. Her shot flew unerringly past the Uruguay goalkeeper. After the half time break, Poland’s captain, Marlena Rybacha, was driving her team forwards but it was until six minutes from the end of the quarter that the European team found a way through. Oriana Bratkowska equalised when she connected sweetly with a bouncing ball. The last five minutes of the quarter saw Poland defending stoically after they were down to 10 players following a yellow card suspension. In the last quarter, the intensity and pressure went up as both teams sought the all-important winning goal. Uruguay won two penalty corners in a row but frustratingly couldn’t convert them. As time ticked on it was clear that this intense match was going to shoot-out. Even here the teams couldn’t be separated in the early stages. Uruguay were 3-1 down but fought back to 3-3. Eventually the Polish were able to get a breakthrough and won 5-4. Poland team manager Lukasz Julga: “The first quarter was difficult, I think the girls were sleeping. In the second quarter we woke up and started to play. They played really good transfer and we had to score twice. To win fifth place for us is an amazing feeling ” Uruguay Head Coach Nicolas Tixe: “We started really well. In the first quarter we scored two goals and had the advantage, but again we have made some errors. We are finishing in sixth position, which was probably not what we had expected. We have to now think about the next tournament, the Pan American Games in one month.”  ****** FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima, 2019 Result: Poland 2 (5), Uruguay 2 (4)  (Poland ranked 5th, Uruguay ranked 6th) Umpires: Chieko Soma (JPN), Katrina Woolf (NZL) ****** The action continues tomorrow in Hiroshima (Saturday 21 June) with the semi-finals 15:45 (JST time) India – Chile 18:00 (JST time) Russia – Japan