26 November 2021 Lausanne, Switzerland: Following the outbreak of a new coronavirus variant in South Africa, the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the South African Hockey Association and the North-West University of Potchefstroom have jointly decided that the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup South Africa 2021, initially planned in Potchefstroom from 5 to 16 December, will not happen under these circumstances. “The safety of everyone involved in the FIH events is an absolute priority. Additionally, many countries, including from some of the participating teams, have now strongly increased their travel restrictions with South Africa, including halting flights. Therefore, it simply isn’t possible to maintain this event as planned. This is hugely disappointing. An FIH Junior World Cup is so important for the development of young players. Also, it was the first time that an FIH World Cup was due to take place on African soil. On behalf of FIH, I’d like to thank all teams for their understanding as well as the local organisers for their great work and collaboration”, FIH CEO Thierry Weil said. FIH will keep monitoring the situation and take a decision about the potential staging of the 2021 FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup as soon as it will be possible to do so.  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. #RisingStars

25 November 2021 Day 2: An astonishing 70 goals were scored on the second day of action at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, with Spain setting a new record for goals scored at the event in a single match as the European side put 17 goals past the USA. The previous record was a 13-0 victory for India against Singapore at the 1982 Junior World Cup. Wins were recorded by Argentina, Netherlands, Spain, France and India, and an incredible display of attacking hockey in all five matches meaning no match saw fewer than eight goals rattling home, with the highest scoring matches seeing 17 goals scored. More information on the matches can be found below. Argentina 14-0 Egypt (Pool D) Argentina got their Junior World Cup campaign off to a flying start when they netted 14 times against a determined but error-prone Egypt. Los Leoncitas captain Facundo Zarate started and finished the goal-fest with a well-taken penalty corner in the third minute of the game and a calm penalty stroke in the 58th minute. What followed was a clinical display of goal scoring as Argentina showed their quality with elegant, free-flowing passing and a wide variation of goal scoring and 10 different names on the score-sheet. Coach Lucas Rey will be pleased with his team’s performance but will also be wary of the tougher test his team will face in their next encounter with Germany. A happy Facundo Zarate speaking after the match, said: “We are very happy with the result. We trained a lot to be here and achieve such a result. We stayed very focused during the entire match. For the next match, we know that Germany is a very tough opponent. So, we will be there, ready to play against them and we will see how it will be going.” “We made a lot of mistakes with passes, but we learnt a lot in this game,” said Egypt’s Khaled Elgandy. “But we kept fighting until the last minute. We will look at our performance in details and try to do better in the next match. We came here to do our best.” Netherlands 12-5 Korea (Pool C) While the Netherlands will be happy to have started with a win and to have scored an impressive 12 goals, Head Coach Michiel van der Struijk will be concerned at the defensive errors that allowed Korea to score five times in response. In Miles Bukkens, the Netherlands have found a goal-scoring supremo. The forward showed speed, flair and awareness to score five goals. However, teams will also be watching the penalty corner proficiency of Jeong Jun Seong of Korea who was unerring as he sent the ball past Flip Wijsman three times. Five goal hero Miles Bukkens said: “We played a good game but several times we got a corner against us. They scored four penalty-corners, I think, so that’s bad and we can work on it. As to me scoring five goals, I like it. That gives me some confidence, which is perfect. Before the next match, we will rest because it was hot today, drink a lot and regroup with our team.” Spain 17-0 USA (Pool C) Argentina may well have thought they had posted the top score of the day, but Spain had other ideas. USA held the European side at bay for seven minutes but then the floodgates opened. Manuel Rodriguez scored twice in the opening quarter, Guillermo Fortuno scored twice in the final minute of the game and another 13 goals were scored in between. USA worked hard throughout but they were no match for the slick passing and speed of decision-making displayed by the Junior EuroHockey champions. Gerard Clapes scored four goals for Spain. he said: “I’m very proud of the team. We played as a team. We have good feelings for the next match against the Netherlands, which is very important. As we all know they are a very, very good team, and it will be very difficult. But it’s very important to win to ensure our path into the quarter finals and, if possible, to reach the first place of the group.” USA captain Jatin Sharma spoke about the nerves that had struck his team as they took to the field: “I think coming out in the first quarter a lot of us were playing a bit with their nerves. That can happen, we all know that. Tonight, we will rewatch the game, talk about what we need to do better, get feedback from our coaches and implement that tomorrow.” France 7-1 Poland (Pool B) France continued their sparkling start to the competition with another energetic performance that put them firmly at the top of Pool B. Despite the scoreline this wasn’t a walkover as Poland defended hard and created their own chances. But France brought with them the confidence that the previous day’s victory over the host nation India had given them and they were strong and composed from the first whistle. The opening goal was within a minute of the start and a 3-0 cushion before the end of the first quarter effectively put the game beyond Poland’s reach. Corentin Sellier scored three goals for France, adding to the one he scored against India the previous day. Reflecting on the match against Poland he said: “It was important for us to be focused on this game, to put some intensity and play a good match. I’m really happy with our performance so far, both for the team and for myself. We want to continue in this competition and we will now focus on the next game.” It was a sanguine reaction from Poland’s Head Coach Jacek Adrian: “I said to my guys: ‘Well done!’. Because they tried in the second half to do something, to score more goals. It was a tough match for us. France is a very strong team. But we tried to show that we can play quite good hockey. Maybe

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Argentina beat Egypt 14-0 in their opening match of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup here on Thursday, with Facundo Zarate scoring a hat-trick and Lautaro Domene and Bautista Capurro each scoring a brace of goals. In the Junior World Cup, this is the biggest victory. India’s previous greatest result was a 13-0 victory over Singapore in 1982. Argentina, who won the title in 2005, got the ball moving in the third minute when Zarate scored off a penalty corner. In the 47th and 58th minutes, he added two more goals to his score by converting two penalty kicks to clinch a treble against the African minnows. Domene scored the team’s third goal in the 12th minute and then added his second off a penalty corner in the 58th minute, while Capurro scored in the 12th and 44th minutes. Francisco Ruiz (10th minute), Franco Agostini (25th minute), Ignacio Nardolillo (39th minute), Mendez Lucio (46th minute), Joaquin Kruger (47th minute), Stellato Bruno (48th minute), and Joaquin Toscani (51st minute) each scored one goal. Six of Argentina’s 14 goals came from penalty corners, and two came from penalty strokes. In the first quarter, they scored three goals, and in the fourth, they scored seven. Source: News Track Live, India

Belgium and South Africa came up against each other for the first time in history in the junior ranks as the 2021 Junior World Cup got underway in Odisha. The Belgians were the runners up in 2016 and with the senior side being the Olympic champions there is massive optimism around the Red Lions at this tournament. A tough opening 10 minutes saw the Belgians settle quicker and take advantage of their early dominance with a cool finish by Roman Duvekot to take the lead from a penalty corner. Despite their dominance in the opening exchanges, the Belgians were met with stern South African resilience to deny them. Taine Bird making a number of interventions to deny the Europeans. As the game headed towards the final minutes of the opening quarter, the South Africans struck back though. South Africa won back-to-back penalty corners, before Jacques van Tonder fired a bullet past Feldheim to pull level. Despite a far more competitive second quarter the South Africans found themselves 2-1 down after a wonderful solo run from Nelson Onana was finished superbly through Taine Bird’s legs. South Africa were not displeased with a 2-1 half time score line and looked to come out firing in the second half. They did that with a penalty corner within 60 seconds as another penalty corner was won, but the opportunity was missed as Guy Morgan fired wide. The miss would be costly as Duvekot notched up his second of the game on the verge of the whistle ending the third quarter. A wonderful reverse strike finish gave the South Africans no chance and made it 3-1. The Belgians would ramp home their advantage in the final quarter to add some gloss to the score as Arno van Dessel and Rik van Cleynenbreugel both netted. It was an early statement of intent from the Red Lions and one that most teams around the tournament would take notice of. The South Africans are next in action when they take on Chile at 06:00 on Friday 26 November. The match will be live on the FIH Watch Hockey app, available for free download on both major app stores. Source: SAHockey.co.za

November 24 | Story By FIH Day 1: The opening day of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 featured five pulsating games, with Belgium, Germany, Poland and Malaysia all claiming important wins before France stole the headlines with a sensational triumph over hosts and reigning world champions India. The official opening ceremony took place ahead of the day’s final match between India and France, with the team captains and various luminaries being present for the unveiling of the trophy, which was conducted by and His Excellency Shri Ganeshi Lal, Hon’ble Governor of Odisha. FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, Mr. Rajinder Singh, Secretary General Hockey India, Mr. Gyanendro Ningombam, President Hockey India, Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey, Chairman Hockey Promotion Council and Shri Tusharkanti Behera, Hon’ble Minister of Sports & Youth Services Government of Odisha, were also in attendance as the showpiece competition commenced in style. More information on the matches can be found below. Belgium 5-1 South Africa (Pool A) 2016 Junior World Cup silver medallists Belgium made the perfect start to their competition by claiming a 5-1 victory over South Africa in the opening match of the day. Roman Duvekot put Belgium into the lead seven minutes into the contest from a penalty corner, but South Africa hit back with a PC of their own when Jaques van Tonder netted on the stroke of quarter time. Nelson Onana restored Belgium’s lead with a second quarter field goal before the Europeans kicked on after half time. Duvakot, who was named Player of the Match, claimed a second goal from open play before strikes from Arnon van Dessel and Rik van Cleynenbreugel wrapped up all three points. It’s a nice way to start the tournament”, said Belgium’s Roman Duvekot. “We’re quite happy. Hopefully we’ll keep growing in the tournament. It’s always important to start with a win. It brings us confidence. I hope we’ll keep getting better. Now, we will take a bit of rest, recover and have a good sleep!” Germany 5-2 Pakistan (Pool D) Six times Junior World Cup champions Germany cruised to a 5-2 victory over Pakistan in their opening fixture, with Robert Duckscheer scoring twice to be named Player of the Match. Germany had the ball in the Pakistan net inside the opening sixty seconds when Michel Struthoff’s strike deflected into the goal via a Green Shirts stick before Duckscheer added a second field goal just before the end of the first quarter. Pakistan hit back through Abdul Shahid early in the second quarter, but Maximilian Siegberg and Benedikt Schwarzhaupt took the score to 4-1 before Germany goalkeeper Anton Brinckman saved a penalty stroke ahead of the half time break. Muhammad Hammadudin gave Pakistan hope when he found the net with 11 minutes left to play, but Duckscheer’s emphatic second of the match put the result beyond all doubt. “We started very well in the first half”, said Germany’s Duckscheer. “I think the third quarter was a little bit up and down from our side. We were one man down during 10 minutes in this third quarter, so it was tough with these weather conditions. But overall, I’m very happy with the performance of my team. It was a good first match. Although we don’t know much about [upcomign opponents] Argentina until now, I think it is a very good team. Like the Pakistani players, they are technical, very fast and good in the attack. So, we have to defend well again, and our chances are good, I think.” Canada 0-1 Poland (Pool B) Poland claimed a narrow triumph over Canada in the third match of the day, giving the Europeans a wonderful platform to build on as they attempt to reach the competition quarter-finals. The only goal of the game came from the stick of Eryk Bembenek, who slapped home a penalty corner from the top of the circle in the 34th minute. It proved to be enough for the Poles to claim all three points, although Canada missed a glorious chance to get on the score-sheet through a penalty stroke just before half time, with Roopkanwar Dhillon’s powerful flick hitting the left post rather than the back of the net. “We are very happy”, said Poland’s Jakub Chumeńczuk, the Player of the Match, after the contest. “We did everything we could and left a lot of heart on the pitch. It’s a good performance. I believe we controlled the whole game. Canada created a few scoring opportunities and even hit the goal post but we defended well and it paid off. Against [upcoming opponents] France, we will give everything we can to try to win and fight for the three points.” Malaysia 2-1 Chile (Pool A) Two brilliant penalty corner goals in the third quarter helped Malaysia overcome a strong challenge from Pan American champions Chile, with the team from Asia emerging 2-1 winners. Both penalty corner routines were perfectly executed, with Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin smashing home the opening goal in the 34th minute before Syarman Mat’s superb, angled deflection in the 43rd minute established what proved to be an unassailable lead. Sebastian Wolansky’s fine backhand strike from a penalty corner gave Chile a glimmer of hope, but it was Malaysia who deservedly took all three points from the contest. “First, we are very happy because we won the match”, said Malaysia’s Amirul Azahar, the Player of the Match. “We have two matches ahead, so we must first recover and then have a good video session to prepare for the next match [against Belgium]. We have a lot of respect for Belgium because they were runners-up of the last Junior World Cup. We must study their game carefully.” India 4-5 France (Pool B) A Player of the Match performance from France captain Timothée Clément gave his team a sensational victory over title holders and hosts India, edging a nine-goal thriller. Clément and Benjamin Marque established a 2-0 lead inside the opening seven minutes, with India restoring parity through Uttam Singh and Sanjay before

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