African Hockey Federation | General News Archives - Page 65 of 71

Netherlands stunned by Germany on Day 8 of Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018

December 05 | Story By FIH Bhubaneswar, India: Germany claimed a stunning 4-1 victory against the Netherlands on Day Eight of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, a result which saw Die Honamas take control of Pool D ahead of the final round of group matches which take place on 9 December. Germany’s scintillating performance moved them onto six points, three points clear of second placed Netherlands, and are now favourites to top the pool and claim a direct ticket to the quarter-finals. A draw or a win for Germany against Malaysia – who drew with Pakistan in the second match of the day – in their final pool match on 9 December would seal that all-important first place finish ahead of the Oranje. As it so often is, the Germany (FIH Hero World Ranking: 6) versus Netherlands (WR:4) match was high in both quality and pace, as two fiercely competitive teams butted heads in front of a crowd that was certainly entertained. Germany’s Christopher Rühr had the first shot in anger, while Dutch captain Billy Bakker forced a good save from Tobias Walter before the opening goal arrived in the 13thminute. Valentin Verga was credited with the goal, driving in from the left before seeing his cross-shot take a wicked deflection off a Germany stick to put the Netherlands – 7-0 winners against Malaysia in their opening match of this World Cup – into the lead on the occasion of Max Caldas’s 100thmatch in charge of the team. Germany almost levelled a minute later when Mathias Müller hit the post with the goal at his mercy at the end of a slick penalty corner routine. While the pace of Rühr and Odisha Player of the Match Florian Fuchs certainly asked questions of the Dutch defence, the Netherlands looked the team most likely to score in the second quarter with Bakker, Jonas de Geus and Bob de Voogd all having clear sights at goal. However, Germany dragged themselves level just before half time, with Müller this time making no mistake to finish off a penalty corner identical to the one he had earlier missed. The Netherlands were well on top in the third quarter but failed to take advantage of numerous penalty corner opportunities. It was something that would cost them dear, with Germany producing a stunning performance in the final quarter to claim a memorable 4-1 triumph over their great rivals. Lukas Windfeder’s low penalty corner drag-flick put Die Honamas ahead before a typical poacher’s finish from Marco Miltkau made it 3-1. The Dutch tried to rally, but any hope of rescuing the match ended when Christopher Rühr launched a penalty stroke high into the Netherlands goal to complete the scoring at 4-1 and put Germany firmly in control of Pool D. “It is crazy to play 4-1 against the Dutch, we didn’t expect that”, said Germany’s Mats Grambusch after the match. “They were the better team in the third quarter, and we conceded a few penalty corners against us and they could have scored, but they didn’t because of our good defence. In the end we had the power to turn the match around in the final quarter.” Malaysia (WR:12) and Pakistan (WR:13) took to the field in the day’s second Pool D match, with a 1-1 draw leaving Pakistan third in the pool, ahead of last placed Malaysia on goal-difference. However, with both sides having tough opponents in their final round of matches – Pakistan play Netherlands, Malaysia take on Germany – there is still the potential for the placings to change. There was little to choose between the two sides in the first two quarters, with both teams having chances to take the lead but not making the most of their opportunities. Despite the lack of goals, it was certainly not short of entertainment as two attack-minded sides took each other on. Despite having conceded seven times against the Netherlands, Malaysia’s back-line showed great discipline to frustrate Pakistan’s attackers, while both goalkeepers – Malaysia veteran Kumar Subramiam and Pakistan’s Imran Butt – also impressed. The third quarter was also scoreless, but the fourth quarter was full of excitement. Pakistan took the lead when Muhammad Atiq received a long pass from midfield before turning his marker and finding the bottom corner of the Malaysia goal. It was a strike that left Malaysia’s future in the competition very much hanging in the balance, but they hit back with five minutes left to play thanks to a superb penalty corner drag-flick from Odisha Player of the Match Faizal Saari, who sent an unstoppable effort into the top left corner to keep alive his team’s hopes of moving into the knockout stages. Speaking after the match, Malaysia goalkeeper Kumar Subramiam said: “I think the guys played very well today. Being down one goal and then getting it back to 1-1 is not easy, so I think we did well. We know there is a big goal difference, but maybe that can change in the last round of matches.” On Thursday 6thDecember, the final round of matches in Pool A will take place, with Spain’s Red Sticks (WR:8) facing New Zealand’s Black Sticks (WR:9) at 1700 IST (UTC +5.30) before Argentina (WR:2) play France (WR:2) at 1900. Currently, reigning Olympic champions Argentina sit at the top of the pool with six points, with New Zealand in second place on three points. Spain and France both have one point from their two games, with Spain in third place ahead of their European rivals courtesy of a superior goal difference. The pool winner will earn a direct ticket to the quarter finals, while the teams that finish second and third will go into the cross-over play-offs. The team that finishes fourth will be eliminated from the competition. Ahead of New Zealand’s crucially important clash against Spain – two sides that sit only one place apart in the FIH Hero World Rankings, Black Sticks captain Blair Tarrant said: “We expected our pool

Continue Reading →

Olympic champions Argentina win again at Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018

December 03 | Story By FIH Bhubaneswar, India: Day Six of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 featured the second round of matches in Pool A, with Argentina claiming their second successive Pool A victory to put themselves within touching distance of the quarter-finals. Argentina’s 3-0 victory over New Zealand sees them move onto six points at the top of the pool, three points ahead of second placed New Zealand with one round of matches to play. Spain and France – who drew in the day’s earlier match – ended the day in third and fourth position respectively. Spain (FIH Hero World Ranking: 8) and France (WR:20) started the day needing to recover from opening day defeats – Spain lost to Argentina while France fell to New Zealand – and get some crucially important points on the board. France struck early in the contest when Victor Charlet’s perfect backhand pass was guided home from close range by Timothée Clément, who changed the trajectory of the ball to give Spain shot-stopper Quico Cortes little hope of saving. The Red Sticks dominated the second quarter, setting up camp in the opposition half but unable to get the goal that their endeavour deserved thanks to some excellent saves from France goalkeeper Arthur Thieffry. While a penalty corner drag-flick from France captain Victor Charlet forced a fine save from Cortes in the third quarter, it was the Spaniards who remained on top and finally got their equaliser early in the fourth period. Alvaro Iglesias was the scorer, completing a slick passing move that cut through the France defence and allowed Spain’s number nine the easiest of finishes. Although it proved to be the final goal of game, France missed a gilt-edged opportunity to claim all three points when a penalty stroke from Hugo Geneset was brilliantly saved by a diving Cortes, cementing his position as the Odisha Player of the Match in the process. “Quico was the best player of the game”, said Spain’s Marc Salles – who made his 200thsenior international appearance in the match – after the game. “When you have a goalkeeper who makes a save from a penalty stroke you can only congratulate him. We are pleased with the draw in the end but we want to keep getting better and better in this tournament.” In celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), before the start of the match the players of Spain and France were introduced to Guest of Honour Md Jafar Iqbal, a member of the India’s World Cup winning blind cricket team. Two teams that claimed victories in their first matches went head to head in the second game of the day, with New Zealand (WR:9) determined to upset the FIH Hero World Rankings by attempting to get the better of reigning Olympic champions Argentina (WR:2). Despite a difference of seven places in the rankings, New Zealand held their own for much of the opening quarter, limiting Los Leones to half chances. Argentina eventually made the breakthrough midway through the second quarter thanks to a terrific backhand strike from Agustin Mazzilli, who picked out the top left corner of the Black Sticks net for his third goal of the competition. Argentina made it 2-0 in the third when New Zealand captain Blair Tarrant was robbed of possession in his on circle by Lucas Vila, who made no mistake with a blistering finish past the left hand of Black Sticks goalkeeper Richard Joyce. The match scoring was completed by Lucas Martinez five minutes from the end, who dived in to make it 3-0 from close range after Argentina’s initial penalty corner attempt had been blocked. “It was a great game for us”, said Argentina’s Lucas Vila, who was named Odisha Player of the Match, at the end of the game. “I think our defence was really strong and in attack we took our chances and scores some good goals. Its only two games so there is a long way to go, but I think we are in a good way and now we have a few days to make some little changes.” The action continues on Tuesday 4thDecember 2018 with two crucial matches in Pool B. Australia (WR:1) will be looking to consolidate their position at the top of the table when face England (WR:7) at 1700 before Ireland (WR:10) take on China (WR:17) at 1900. The Kookaburras were victorious over Ireland in their first Pool B match, with China holding England to a draw. The day’s results are certain to be significant in the potential finishing positions in this group. Australia coach Colin Batch felt that his team would be given a stern test by England, stating: “We will have to overcome a motivated England team who conceded a late goal to draw their match against China. While they will be disappointed with the outcome, statistically they did very well in the match so I don’tsee them making many changes to their style of play. “We were pleased to win our first match; however, we need to improve fromour performance against Ireland”, continued Batch, who was a member of the Australia squad that won the 1986 FIH Men’s World Cup in London, England. “The Irish team was able to deny our scoring and we need to get more outcomes from our attacking circleentries. We missed two injections on our penalty corners and while that is rare, we need to make sure we are better in that area.” Speaking ahead of his side’s clash against Australia, England co-captain Ian Sloan said: “We are looking forward to taking on Australia in what will be a highly competitive encounter. We created a lot of chances in game one [against China] and are focusing on being better in both Ds in game two. We know that if we do that, we will have a good chance of getting a positive result.” The Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 takes place between 28 November and 16

Continue Reading →

India and Belgium in thrilling draw on Day Five of Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018

December 02 | Story By FIH Bhubaneswar, India:India and Belgium played out a thrilling draw to remain level on points at the top of Pool C on Day Five of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. The 2-2 score-line leaves India at the top of the pool on goal difference ahead of the Red Lions, with everything to play for going into the final round of matches on 8th December. The Pool C action began when South Africa (FIH Hero World Ranking: 15) and Canada (WR:11), two teams who were defeated on the opening day of competition, went head-to-head. South Africa dominated the opening period of their match against the Canadians and would have been ahead were it not for wonderful save from shot-stopper and Odisha Player of the Match David Carter, who gloved an Austin Smith penalty corner drag-flick onto his own crossbar. The African champions continued their supremacy in the second period but came close to falling behind, with James Kirkpatrick being denied by a good block from Rassie Pieterse. Canada’s resistance was finally broken near the end of the third period thanks to Nqobile Ntuli, who moved past Carter before crashing a backhand shot into the unguarded net. It was a lead that lasted just two minutes, with Canada captain Scott Tupper firing a penalty stroke past goalkeeper Gowan Jones, who had replaced Pieterse at half time. Canada’s Red Caribou frustrated their opponents in the final stages, with South Africa replacing their goalkeeper with an outfield in an attempt to claim all three points and boost their hopes of getting out of the pool. However, it was not to be, with Canada claiming a share of the spoils while South Africa were left to rue their missed opportunities. Speaking after the match, South African defender Austin Smith said: “We let ourselves down, and I feel pretty responsible for that with the corners. I thought we played better than Canada did, but when you get ten corners and don’t score any you don’t win hockey games. It’s frustrating and makes going through to the next round very difficult. I know mathematically it is possible, if we beat Belgium, but the overwhelming feeling is one of frustration.” A sensational atmosphere greeted the players of India (WR:5) and Belgium (WR3) as they walked out onto the turf at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, with a sell-out 15,000 people packed into the venue to witness a key match in the race for a first place pool finish and the subsequent place in the quarter-finals that comes with it. The Red Lions had the best of the first quarter and got their reward eight minutes in, using a clever video referral to win a penalty corner that was clinically dispatched by Alexander Hendrickx. India had chances either side of the first quarter break, although a moment of inspiration from Tom Boon in the second quarter almost doubled the advantage when his improvised deflection hit the frame of the Indian goal. Much to the delight of the home crowd, India came out firing in the third quarter, piling pressure on the Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallists. Eventually the leveller arrived from the penalty spot, with a stroke being awarded after a goal-bound penalty corner effort hit the body of a Belgian player on the goal-line. Harmanpreet Singh proved to be the coolest man in the stadium, soaking up all the tension and channelling it into an effort that was hard and true, wrongfooting Belgium goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch to find the bottom left corner. The Kalinga Stadium erupted two minutes into the fourth and final quarter when Simranjeet Singh scored his third goal of the competition from close range, putting India very much in the driving seat for that crucial first place finish in the pool. It proved to be temporary, with Belgium replacing their goalkeeper with an outfield player to turn up the heat on the home favourites. It paid off four minutes from the end when Simon Gougnard slapped home an equaliser after a decisive Belgium move ripped through the Indian defence to complete the scoring. Commenting about the race to finish first in Pool C – a position currently held by the host nation on goal difference over today’s opponents – India Head Coach Harendra Singh was honest in his assessment. “I think it is wide open”, said Harendra. “With goal difference we are plus five and they are plus two, but it all comes down to that last game. We can forget about the two previous games, the next match is the one that will decide if we are in the quarter-final.” The action continues on Monday 3rdof December with the second round of Pool A matches taking place. At 1700 IST (UTC +5.30), Spain (WR:8) and France (WR:20) will aim to recover from their respective opening day defeats and get some crucially important points on the board. That match is followed by a clash between two teams who were victorious in their first matches, with New Zealand (WR:9) facing Olympic champions Argentina (WR:2) at 1900. Speaking ahead of his team’s meeting with Argentina match, Black Sticks Head Coach Darren Smith said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to match up against the Olympic Champions at the World Cup. They are a high-quality team with very skillful forwards, composure and a deadly penalty corner. We also know that the points for this game are critical to get to the next round so we will be targeting the three on offer. We are looking forward to matching up against them.” Argentina Head Coach German Orozco said: “For us, we need to improve our game both when we are in possession and also without it. We want to continue building confidence in the team.” The Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 takes place between 28 November and 16 December. The Men’s World Cup is played every four years. For all information regarding the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar

Continue Reading →

World AIDS Day marked at Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018

December 02 | Story By FIH On Thursday 1 December, massive efforts were made across the globe to mark World AIDS Day, a pioneering global health campaign that has been organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on an annual basis for the past 30 years. It was no different in Bhubaneswar, with the Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) doing their bit to raise awareness at the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. Ahead of the day’s action on the field, OSACS distributed T-shirts and caps to more than 2,600 spectators, who positioned themselves in the formation of a human ribbon – the symbol of World AIDS Day – in the west stand at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium. The decision to make the gesture at such a high-profile sporting occasion was certainly a smart one, with a global broadcast audience of millions witnessing the symbol created by the fans in the stand. World AIDS Day is designed to spread awareness and eradicate stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. The theme of World AIDS Day 2018 is ‘Know Your Status”. To learn more about World AIDS Day, click here.

India and Uganda take home FIH 2018 Olympic Day Awards

The National Associations of India and Uganda are the winners of this year’s FIH 2018 Olympic Day Awards, which were presented on 3 November 2018 during the 46th FIH Congress in New Delhi. The Awards recognise Sport for All activities undertaken by FIH stakeholders on the occasion of Olympic Day, celebrated each year on 23 June. In 2018, 60 FIH stakeholders activated approximately 30,000 people to play hockey in more than 50 countries across the five continents. The programmes were highly inclusive and targeted people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. The project by Hockey India was chosen as the most innovative one this year by an FIH Panel, with the Uganda Hockey Association picking up the second best activity award. Both FIH member associations will receive grants for their development activities. In India, a total of 47 Hockey India Member Units celebrated Olympic Day across the country, which resulted in more than 1000 people picking up a hockey stick during State Championships, exhibition matches, Hockey 5s games, road rallies and coaching seminars. Participation was gender balanced and covered all age groups. A highlight was the involvement of 95 year old Balbir Singh Senior, a three times Olympic champion in hockey, who joined in to share his love for hockey. A number of representatives from the government and the National Olympic Committee (NOC) attended as well. The impact was enhanced by organised media opportunities around these activities which spread awareness about hockey to a much wider audience. In Africa, runners up Uganda included people with impairments in the Olympic Day activities which took place at four different locations. Most activities were conducted at schools and involved hockey role models. Under the motto “Hockey is family”, more than 1000 people of different age groups took part in Olympic Day. The celebrations were also attended by key people from the public authorities, the French ambassador and the NOC President. Organisers ensured good coverage in print and digital media. Speaking about this year’s FIH Olympic Day Awards, FIH Director of Sport and Development, Jon Wyatt, said: “It is now the third year that we have encouraged our National Associations to undertake hockey activities and spread Olympic values on and around Olympic Day. Each year we have seen the programmes growing and maturing which is great. We will aim higher again for 2019.” He added: “It was a tough job to pick this year’s winners among a field of many strong candidates, but both India and Uganda undertook outstanding projects which were highly inclusive and involved a significant number of people. Both National Associations were also very clever in involving key people from the government and the NOC who can help hockey develop in the future.” Full list of countries undertaking hockey activities on the occasion of Olympic Day in 2018: Africa– Botswana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. Asia– Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore,Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam. Europe– Belarus, Estonia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, United Kingdom. Oceania–Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu. Pan-America– Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Uruguay. In addition to the activities by National Associations in the above mentioned countries, the AHF Hockey Academy (Raja Ashman Shah), ParaHockey (EHF Development Section), the FIH Hockey Academy, the Grobots Foundation and the NOCs of Brazil and New Zealand implemented hockey programmes for Olympic Day 2018.

Key decisions made at 46th FIH Congress in New Delhi

FIH unveils ‘Hockey2024’, a new global development strategy Craig-Rousseau, Safoa King, Green & Shahbaz elected to FIH Executive Board Results of Athlete Committee elections also revealed New Delhi, India: The 46th FIH Congress, where some 250 delegates from all over the world gathered to discuss crucial matters regarding the global status and popularity of hockey, has drawn to a close at the Lalit Hotel on Saturday 3 November. Meeting every second year, the Congress is the supreme body of the FIH and is where key strategic decisions are made for the development and governance of hockey globally, and the 46th edition was certainly no different with the launch of the new FIH Development Strategy taking centre stage. The new development strategy – named ‘Hockey2024’ – puts the global promotion and development of hockey at the heart of all FIH activities, the purpose being to create long-term sustainable growth through the key pillars of Participation, Education and Infrastructure. Seen very much as ‘Evolving the Revolution’, Hockey2024 will feature heavily in all FIH events going forward, while the leadership and direction from FIH will also allow the Continental Federations and National Associations to drive forward new and existing development projects. Two exciting new projects have been announced as part of the strategy. The ‘Hockey4Life’ project has been designed to encourage people of all ages and from all backgrounds to start, play and stay in hockey, which is crucial to the long-term sustainable growth of the game. The second project, ‘Sticks4TheWorld’, directly supports the first initiative by aiming to distribute 110,000 hockey sticks to new and existing Hockey4Life projects by the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Speaking about the launch of the Hockey2024 global development strategy, FIH Chief Executive Officer Thierry Weil said: “The development of the game is the number one mission of every International Federation. The revenues we generate as a Federation have only one goal: to develop hockey worldwide. I’m delighted that Congress has fully supported the strategy which the FIH has presented today in this crucially important area. This shall help our goal to grow the game on a sustainable manner.” The election of four Ordinary Members of the FIH Executive Board – two women and two men – took place at the Congress, with the delegates naming Maureen Craig-Rousseau (TTO), Elizabeth Safoa King (GHA), Dr Michael Green (GER) and Shahbaz Ahmad (PAK) from the nine-strong list of candidates that had been nominated by the various National Associations. Trinidad & Tobago’s Maureen Craig-Rousseau and Michael Green of Germany were re-elected to the FIH Executive Board having both served recent terms, while Ghana’s Elizabeth Safoa King and former Pakistan international player Shahbaz Ahmad are newcomers to the board are newcomers, replacing Pamela Stuper (USA) and Marc Coudron (BEL). To see profiles of each member of the FIH Executive Board, please click here. Elections also took place for the Athletes’ Committee, which consists of current and former hockey players who ensure that the athletes themselves have influence in the FIH decision making process. Mark Knowles (AUS), Rogier Hofman (NED), Janne Müller-Wieland (GER) and Carla Rebecchi (ARG) were all elected by fellow athletes as Regular Members, with David Harte (IRL) and Camila Caram (CHI) being elected as Liaison Members, who are required to be current players. They are joined on the Athletes’ Committee by Scott Tupper (CAN), Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran (IND), Kate Richardson-Walsh (ENG) and Jacqueline Mwangi (KEN), who were all recommended nominations by the Executive Board to give both gender and geographic balance. More information about the Athletes’ Committee can be found by clicking here. Moving away from development and elections, the National Associations of India and Uganda were revealed as the winners of this year’s FIH 2018 Olympic Day Awards. These Awards recognise Sport for All activities undertaken by FIH stakeholders on the occasion of Olympic Day, which is celebrated each year on 23 June. In 2018, 60 FIH stakeholders activated approximately 30,000 people to play hockey in more than 50 countries across the five continents. The programmes were highly inclusive, targeting people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. To read more on this story, click here. Keeping with the Olympic theme, an update on International Relations and Olympic Solidarity was provided to Congress by International Olympic Committee (IOC) Commission Member and Executive Board Member Tayyab Ikram, who revealed Olympic Solidarity funding for development projects in the lead-up to Tokyo 2020. TV and Broadcast Director Andy Oram announced the 2019 launch of the ‘FIH.live’ platform, which will be designed to connect the hockey community – coaches, players, families, friends and fans. The focus of the platform will be ‘athlete first’, enabling us to share the best moments of every player in every team instantly live on social media and guarantees global visibility to all hockey matches played worldwide across all 137 nations. In other important news, Comité National Algérien de Hockey’s application to become a recognized National Association was approved by Congress, with Algeria becoming the latest country to join the ever-expanding hockey family. The financial report and accounts were also approved, as were amendments to the FIH Statutes including retaining the clause regarding age limit of FIH Executive Board members in line with the practice of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The President of the Judicial Commission, a group of neutral legal advisors that acts as mediator in FIH legal matters, was also ratified, with Annabel Pennefather continuing in the role that she took in 2017. The 46th FIH Congress, which saw 112 National Associations in attendance, opened with FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra reflecting on the two years that had passed since the 2016 Congress in Dubai, before thanking all delegates for their work promoting and developing the sport in all territories. There was also a specially recorded video message of welcome from Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, who praised the delegates of the FIH for their willingness to embrace the changes that have come through the Hockey Revolution, the strategy launched at the 44th Congress in 2014 designed to make hockey a

Continue Reading →

IOC President Thomas Bach amongst winners at FIH Honorary Awards in New Delhi

It was a night of celebration for many of the sport’s hardest working promoters and representatives on Thursday 1 November 2018 as the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Honorary Awards took place at the Lalit Hotel in New Delhi, India. A wonderfully vibrant, colourful event containing a string of acts from the world of dance, music and entertainment, all showcasing India’s rich and diverse culture, were enjoyed by hockey delegates representing well over 100 National Associations, who have converged in New Delhi as part of the programme for the 46th FIH Congress. The FIH Honorary Awards ceremony is a crucial element of the Congress programme, rewarding those who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport of hockey. There were 12 recipients of FIH President’s Award, which recognises individuals or National Associations having excelled with initiatives, projects or programmes that have contributed over a long period of time to the enrichment of the sport at international level. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach was named as a winner of this hugely prestigious prize thanks to his longstanding support of both the sport and the Federation, but was sadly unable to be present in New Delhi to collect his award in person. Pam Elgar collects her President’s Award from FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra. Although Dr Bach was unable to attend, fellow recipients European Hockey Federation President Marijke Fleuren (NED), Oceania Hockey Federation President Pam Elgar (NZL) and Pan-American Hockey Federation President Alberto Budeisky (ARG) were all on hand to collect their honorary awards from FIH President Batra for their outstanding contributions in developing the sport in their respective regions and the constant drive towards gender equality. Former Belgium international and National Association President Marc Coudron (BEL) was also honoured, reflecting his key role in the growth of the sport in his homeland, as was Yokoyama Hide (JPN) for being instrumental in the development of hockey in Japan. Alberto ‘Coco’ Budeisky receives his President’s Award from FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra. Sheikh Al-Fahad Al-Sabah Ahmad, Naveen Patnaik, Raj Kumar Singh and HRH Prince Abdullah Shah were also revealed as winners of the President Award, as were The Hockey Museum for their role in ensuring that the history of the sport is being preserved for future generations. Wolfgang Hillmann, President of the Deutscher Hockey Bund, collected a President’s Award on behalf of the Germany Men’s U-21 team for their staggering display of sportsmanship at the EuroHockey Junior Championship in 2017. On the eve of their bronze medal match against Spain, a large number of the Spanish players were incapacitated by a virus and therefore unfit to play. Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Germany U-21 team chose to share the bronze medal, going so far as to unveiling the Spanish flag in honour of their sick opponents when they took their place on the podium. The Germany men’s U-21 team were honoured for their remarkable sportsmanship at the EuroHockey Junior Championship in 2017. Credit: European Hockey Federation. Away from the President’s Award, the Pablo Negre Award was presented to Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond (KNHB) in recognition of their innovative programme to embrace the spirit of hockey, while the Federacion Deportiva Peruana de Hockey took the Theo Ykema Award thanks to their wonderful efforts in sustainable hockey development. Chaiyapak Siriwat (THA) was named as the winner of the Sultan Azlan Shah Award for his dedicated commitment to hockey, with Herman Kruis (NED) taking the Etienne Glichitch Award in recognition of his contribution to the growth and development of the sport. Harchan Singh Dillon (HKG) and the China Women’s Hockey Team were the respective winners of the Guust Lathouwers Memorial Trophy and the Super Fair Play Trophy René G. Frank, while Sue Catton (ENG), Alain Renaud (FRA), Yoshida Motohito (JPN) and Peter Wefers-Bettink (NED) were named Order of Merit winners. Diploma of Merit Awards went to Nii Quay Kumah (GHA), Brigadier Mussarat Ullah Khan (PAK) and Choi-Cho Yoon (KOR). A list of the FIH Honorary Award winners for 2018 can be found below. To see an overview of all FIH Honorary Award winners both past and present as well as background information about the prizes, please click here. The FIH Honorary Awards Ceremony took place on the second day of proceedings at the 46th Congress, with the Congress session itself taking place on 3 November. Some 250 delegates from all over the world have gathered in New Delhi for the Congress, where key strategic decisions are made for the development and governance of hockey globally. The Congress agenda includes an overview of the status of the game, its evolution and development worldwide. Furthermore, delegates will elect four members to the Executive Board, while the Athletes’ committee will be renewed. Other items on the agenda include the ratification of the appointment of the President of the Judicial Commission, an update on the IOC Solidarity Foundation as well as a report on the FIH finances. Welcoming all guests of the 46th FIH Congress, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra said: “It is a great pleasure to have you here in my country and my home town of Delhi. I have your permission to express my gratitude to Hockey India for looking after us, so a big thank you to them for their hospitality in hosting this event.” Hockey India Chief Executive Officer Elena Norman expressed her delight in hosting the awards ceremony and the Congress itself. “Over the past years, the FIH Congress has proved to be one of the most critical platforms for dialogue, which has paved the way for the Hockey Revolution throughout the world, including India. All of us at Hockey India, especially our President Mohd. Mushtaque Ahmad, feels privileged to have been chosen as the host of the 2018 FIH Congress, and we do hope that everyone present experiences a memorable four days in our capital city New Delhi.” Source: FIH

46th FIH Congress kicks-off in New Delhi

Some 250 delegates from all over the world gather in New Delhi, India, this week, for the 46th Congress of the International Hockey Federation. The Congress is the supreme body of the FIH and meets every second year. This is where strategic decisions are made for the development and governance of hockey globally. While the Congress session itself will take place on 3 November at the Lalit Hotel, the week will kick-off on 31 October with the FIH Executive Board meeting as well as a meeting of the Continental Federation CEOs. The FIH Honorary Awards ceremony, rewarding personalities having made an outstanding contribution to the game, will be held on 1 November. The Congress agenda includes an overview of the status of the game, its evolution and development worldwide. Furthermore, delegates will elect four members to the Executive Board, while the Athletes’ committee will be renewed. Other items on the agenda include the ratification of the appointment of the President of the Judicial Commission, an update on the IOC Solidarity Foundation as well as a report on the FIH finances. FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra said: “Over the past years we have worked tirelessly to develop and expand hockey worldwide. As we find ourselves almost half way through our ten-year Hockey Revolution strategy, we have a busy week ahead of us and I am looking forward to holding fruitful discussions together and making good decisions as we strive constantly to develop our sport globally and strengthen our governance to make hockey a global game that inspires the next generation.” The full Congress agenda is available here. Source: FIH

More teams progress to Quarter-Finals at YOG 2018

Day four of the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games saw more teams qualify for the Quarter-Finals of the men’s and women’s Hockey5s events in Youth Olympic Park. For all the day 4 results, click here. In the women’s event, Australia, China and Poland qualified from Pool B. Reigning champions China beat fellow qualifiers Australia this morning, but it proved their most challenging match so far. Two goals from Zou Meirong plus another from Gu Yangyan was enough to secure their 3-1 win to maintain their 100% record in the competition. Poland meanwhile edged Namibia 1-0 to qualify thanks to a goal from Dzesika Mazur, while earlier in the day Zimbabwe kept their Quarter-Final hopes alive by defeating Mexico 2-1. Uruguay women got today’s Pool A proceedings off to a stunning start as they picked up their first win in some style by defeating Vanuatu 18-0, which included six goals from Pilar Oliveros. Argentina meanwhile continued their winning streak whilst also ending India’s 100% record as the hosts won 5-2. The last women’s Pool A match of the day say South Africa clinch their place in the Quarter-Finals thanks to a narrow 2-1 win against Austria. In the men’s competition, Poland pulled off the biggest win of day four as they defeated Vanuatu 15-1 in Pool A. Their win included five goals from Eryk Bembenek. The Pool A leaders, Argentina and Malaysia, also went head to head today, with the hosts emerging 4-2 winners to maintain their undefeated record in front of another bumper crowd. Speaking afterwards, Argentina’s Tadeo Marucci said: “We are feeling really enthusiastic going into the next matches. I’m really proud of our performances so far but we need to keep improving.” Teammate Santiago Micaz added: “The dynamic and attitude of the team has been really impressive. We are always attacking but also working hard for each other. The fans have also been amazing and been a huge boost for us.” Mexico meanwhile picked up their first win as they defeated Zambia in a 6-4 thriller this afternoon. In men’s Pool B, Australia remain the only unbeaten team as they beat Asian rivals India 4-3. Austria picked up their third win of the event, but Kenya made them work for their victory with the final score also 4-3. Bangladesh were another team to secure their first win of the event as they defeated Canada 5-2, with Safiul Alam grabbing two goals for his team. To find out who is playing on day 5 click here. #YOG2018

Namibia stuns Australia in Buenos Aires

Namibia women recorded a famous victory in the second day of play at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games as they defeated Australia 4-3 in a late morning thriller. For all the day 2 results, click here. Captain Kiana-Che Cormack inspired her team with two goals whilst Joane van Rooyen and Taramarie Myburgh also grabbed a couple to earn Namibia their first win in Pool B. Elsewhere in Pool B, Poland edged Zimbabwe 2-1 in a close encounter while reigning champions China kept up their fine form as they beat Mexico 7-0. Speaking after their second successive win, China’s Ning Ma said: “Today I think our match and our performance was great. I am so excited to be here at Youth Olympic games, it is my honour to to be representing my country here and thank you Argentina for setting up such a good pitch and incredible venue. Everyone in the team is really happy and I feel good here in Buenos Aires.” Women’s Pool A is topped by hosts Argentina on goal difference. They continued their high scoring streak this evening, this time defeating Austria 6-0 to the delight of the home crowd. The other matches in Pool A saw India make it two wins from two as they won 2-1 against Uruguay. However it was South Africa who picked up the biggest win of the day in the women’s event as they defeated Vanuatu 11-0. Afterwards, South Africa’s Ammaarah Hendricks said: “We are feeling great after this match and are exited for the Youth Olympic Games. We know our next match is going to be tough. We will tweak some things and work as a team to play better.” On their experience so far she added: “The Youth Olympic Games is an amazing experience, we get to meet many different people and get to play such a high level. It is fantastic and are really enjoying it.” In the men’s competition, India continued their dominance as they beat Austria in Pool B. Four goals from Sudeep Chirmako helped them to a 9-1 win. Bangladesh meanwhile while pushed Australia to their limits, making for an edgy end to their Pool B game as Sawon Sarower brought the score to within one goal with three minutes to go. Australia however held on to take the 4-3 victory to maintain their 100 percent record. In the other Pool B match, Canada picked up their first win as they defeated Kenya 4-3 to continue day two’s excitement. Zambia captain Joseph Mugamba was the star of the show as his two goals helped his team to a 4-3 win against Poland in Pool A. The winning goal came within three minutes of full-time through Phillimon Bwali. Argentina remain top of Pool A however as they treated the home fans to 18 goals without reply in their win against Vanuatu. Every Argentine player except captain Lisandro Zago scored, including four goals each fom Ignacio Ibarra and Tadeo Marcucci. Despite their heavy loss, Vanuatu Coach Kitto Todd explained the value in participating in such events. He said: “This is so good for Vanuatu and the boys. This is amazing for them to get to play the best team in the world. They are loving every minute of their time at the village and this amazing hockey venue.” Hot on their tails at the top of the Pool are Malaysia who picked up their second successive win as they won 4-2 against Mexico. To find out who is playing on day three click here. #YOG2018