ACCC 34M-25W – Poor start for Malawi teams at Africa tourney

    Malawi teams endured a bad start to the Africa Cup for Club Champions (ACCC) at the National Hockey Stadium in Blantyre on Saturday. On the opening day, four local sides lost to foreign sides, with Genetrix Men beating fellow Malawian side Parachute Battalion 8-1. However, the four local teams that lost on the opening day are convinced that they will get valuable international exposure as the country is hosting the showpiece for the first time. On the opening day, Kenya’s Western Jaguars beat Malawi’s Scorpions Men 9-0. In the ladies’ division, Delta Queens of Nigeria beat Malawi’s Capital Braves Ladies 17-0 whereas Genetrix Women lost 13-1 to Blazers of Kenya. In another match, Scorpions Women lost 0-12 to Kenya’s Lakers. Speaking on behalf of the local sides, Scorpions Coach Alex Mpasa said they would learn from their international counterparts. “Such things happen. We are not very worried with the defeats because this is the first time we are playing in an international competition. This event has given us a platform on which to gain international experience.  “Nevertheless, we can pull surprises or better results in our next fixtures,” Mpasa said. Hockey Association of Malawi (Ham) President Wanthaza Mughogho said the competition has attracted top sides from the continent. “The results are normal in hockey and we look forward to upcoming games,” Mughogho said. He said it is a dream come true for Malawi to host the tournament. “The day is finally here. We have waited for this day [of hosting an international tournament] for too long,” Mughogho said Meanwhile, 17 men’s and women’s teams from six countries are taking part in the tournament, which winds up on November 26. This follows the withdrawal of Police Machines of Nigeria. In a letter to Africa Hockey Federation (AfHF) and Ham, Nigeria Hockey Federation General Secretary Chinedu Usuoha said that they have withdrawn after being recalled to duty. “We write to inform you that Police Machines are officially withdrawing from the championship in Malawi. This is due to their recall to duty by the government following the nationwide strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, which has now resulted in their inability to obtain funds for the trip despite earlier assurances,” Usuoha indicates in the letter. Sources: times.mw | November 20, 2023

    ACCC 34M-25W – Local rivals Lakers and Blazers draw blanks as Africa Club Champions enters day two

      Lakers Hockey Club were held to a 0-0 draw by Blazers Hockey Club on Sunday evening as the 2023 Africa Cup for Club Champions Tournament (ACCC) entered day two in Blantyre, Malawi. The Kisumu based hockey team begun the 10-day tournament being played at the National Hockey Stadium with a statement 12-0 win over Malawi’s Scorpions.  Gilly Okumu and Lynn Tamunai scored four goals each as captain Alice Owiti netted a brace.  Aurelia Opondo and Yvette Kanyandong sealed the win. However, against Blazers, Lakers being led by Owiti could not sound the bar in the four quarters as they drew for the second consecutive time in the continental event. In February, Lakers drew 1-1 against Blazers when they debuted at the delayed 2022 event. Laker’s only win against Blazers came in May when they stunned the record Kenyan champions 1-0 at Kisumu Day High School in the Kenya Hockey Union Premier League match. The draw leaves both teams tied on four points after two matches. Blazers thrashed thrashed Genetrix Hockey Club from Malawi 13-1 on Saturday during their opening match. Kenyan internationals Eleanor Chebet and Maureen Okumu each scored a hat trick to lead the former champions to victory. Lilian Aura added a brace as Purity Odinga, Teresa Juma, Joan Anjao, Audrey Omaido and Barbra Simiyu also joined in the goal fest. Margret Munthali netted Genetrix’s consolation goal. Source: standardmedia.co.ke | November 19, 2023

      ACCC 34M-25W – Kenya’s Blazers, Lakers and Western Jaguars pick big wins in ACCC opener

        Kenyan clubs begun their 2023 Africa Cup for Club Champions Tournament (ACCC) on a high note after picking up big wins as the 10-day tournament kicked off on Saturday in Blantyre, Malawi. Despite the long travel by road from Nairobi to Malawi by Western Jaguars and Lakers Hockey Club, the two clubs showed no signs of fatigue as they blistered their opponents with ease. Ironically, the government through the Ministry of Sports opted to sponsor Blazers Hockey Club who jetted in Malawi via a flight.  Western Jaguars saw off Scorpions of Malawi 9-0 in their opening match. Emmanuel Wiswa scored five goals for Jaguars. Wiswa sounded the bar in the 11th, 13th,43rd, 56th and 57th minutes respectively while Sheldon Kimtai bagged a brace in the 55th and 59th minutes. Bethuel Masambu and Calistus Muyale sealed the win with a goal each. The men’s matches will be played in Round-Robin just as the women’s after the Africa Hockey Federation reviewed the fixtures with other teams pulling hout. After neutralising Scorpions, Jaguars will play Egypt’s Sharkia, Malawi’s Genetrix, Kampala from Uganda, Police Machine from Nigeria and Parachute Battalion. In the women’s category, it was the same story as Blazers thrashed Genetrix Hockey Club from Malawi 13-1. Kenyan internationals Eleanor Chebet and Maureen Okumu each scored a hat trick to lead the former champions to victory. Lilian Aura added a brace as Purity Odinga, Teresa Juma, Joan Anjao, Audrey Omaido and Barbra Simiyu also joined in the goal fest. Margret Munthali netted Genetrix’s consolation goal. Lakers Hockey Club on the other hand hammered Scorpions 12. Gilly Okumu and Lynn Tamunai scored four goals each as captain Alice Owiti netted a brace. Aurelia Opondo and Yvette Kanyandong sealed the win. Source: standardmedia.co.ke | November 19, 2023

        ACCC 34M-25W – Delta Queens suffer defeat to Ghana in Malawi at Africa Club Hockey Championships

          After humiliating the host, Capital Braves of Malawi, 17-0 in the first match at the ongoing 2023 Africa Club Hockey Championships, Nigeria’s representative Delta Queens Hockey team, suffered a 3-4 defeat to their West African neighbour, Ghana, today. The championship began on a high note on Saturday with the Asaba-based team teaching the host country some bitter lessons of hockey, racing a 9-0 victory in the first half and adding another 8-0 scores in the second stanza. The failure of Kaduna State male and female teams to make it to Blantyre, Malawi, forced the orgarnisers to reshuffle the fixtures. The Lakers of Kenya had a 12-0 victory over the Scorpions of Malawi in the other Women’s game on Saturday, just as Blazers, also of Kenya handed a 13-1 defeat to Genetric of Malawi. The game between Nigeria and Ghana today, provided the fans the real fun of hockey, with Delta Queens falling behind 1-2 in the first half. Faith Obukowho scored for Delta Queens. But the coach Ade Jacobs-led Delta Queens Hockey team rediscovered their redeem early in the second half, with Obukowho scoring to bring the game to 2-2, with 15 minutes to play. The Ghanaians fought back and took the lead 3-2, but Delta Queens’ Benedicta Johnson struck to level at 3-3. Just when the fans had concluded that the game will end in a draw, the Ghanaians were awarded what an official of Delta Queens described as controversial penalty in the last minute. Ghana scored to win at 4-3. The defeat notwithstanding, Delta Queens is eying a podium finish in the championship, which will end on November 26. Today is rest day for the Asaba-based side. Delta Queens left Lagos for Blantyre on Wednesday with 18 players, three coaches and other team officials. Source: guardian.ng | November 19, 2023

          Fixtures and Technical Panel: Africa Cup for Club Champions [ACCC] (34th Men – 25th Women Editions) | 18-26 November 2023 (Blantyre, Malawi)

            Africa Cup for Club Champions [ACCC] 34th Men & 25th Women Editions | 18-26 November 2023 in Blantyre – Malawi 14 Participating Clubs from 6 Countries: Egypt | Kenya | Nigeria | Malawi | Ghana | Uganda MEN Sharkia – Egypt Western Jaguars – Kenya Police Machine – Nigeria Genetrix – Malawi Scorpions – Malawi Parachute Battalion – Malawi Kampala – Uganda WOMEN Lakers – Kenya Blazers – Kenya Delta Queens – Nigeria Ghana Revenue Authority GRA – Ghana Genetrix – Malawi Scorpions – Malawi 7. Capital Braves – Malawi

            Watch.Hockey “FIH+” Pass: one week left to benefit from the Early Bird discount!

              November 13, 2023 Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and NAGRA KUDELSKI announced on 31 October the launch of a new era in Watch.Hockey with the lifting of geo-blocking* and an FIH+ Pass, which enables access to thrilling FIH events – FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers for Paris 2024, FIH Hockey Pro League Season 5, FIH Hockey5s World Cup, FIH Hockey Junior World Cups, FIH Hockey Nations Cup -, all in one place! There is one week left – until 20 November – to benefit from an Early Bird discount of up to 25%! You can secure your FIH+ pass directly through the Watch.Hockey app or via the website here. *except on the Indian sub-continent #HockeyInvites #HockeyEquals For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

              FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers: who plays whom in the group stage?

                7th November 2023 Lausanne, Switzerland: Following yesterday’s announcement about the teams allocated to their respective venues, please find hereafter the composition of the Pools (A and B) for each FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier: Women Valencia, Spain Pool A: Belgium, Korea, Ireland, Ukraine Pool B: Great Britain, Spain, Canada, Malaysia Ranchi, India Pool A: Germany, Japan, Chile, Czech Republic Pool B: India, New Zealand, United States, Italy Men Valencia, Spain Pool A: Belgium, Ireland, Japan, Ukraine Pool B: Spain, Korea, Austria, Egypt Muscat, Oman  Pool A: Great Britain, Malaysia, Pakistan, China Pool B: Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Chile The top-3 men’s and women’s teams from each venue will qualify for the Olympics based on their classification at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024. After the round robin matches in the pool stage, the top two teams in each pool will qualify for the semi-finals. The winning semi-finalists will be assured of a top-2 finish and qualify for the Olympic Games, while the losing semi-finalists will play the bronze medal match with the winner of that match also securing their ticket to Paris 2024. The FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 will be played between 13-21 January 2024. Please visit Olympics.Hockey for more details about the qualifiers, as well as hockey at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. #EnrouteToParis #HockeyInvites #HockeyEquals For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

                FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Malaysia 2023: One month to go!

                  7 November 2023 Lausanne, Switzerland: We are just one month away from the start of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Malaysia 2023 as Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia gears up to welcome the global hockey family and put on a great show! The 16 teams chasing glory are eager to get going, show their impressive skills on the world stage and etch their names in the history books. Meanwhile the hosts have pulled out all the stops to ensure the players have a tournament to remember for a lifetime. The fans, local and global alike, are ready to cheer for the next generation of hockey’s rising stars who are primed for a breakout! The 16 teams that have qualified for the event have been placed into their respective pools. Pool A features the defending champions Argentina taking on continental rivals Chile along with hosts Malaysia and former champions Australia, who are back in the event after missing out on the 2021 edition due to issues related to the pandemic. Pool B pits together two medalists from the 2021 edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, silver medalists Germany and bronze medalists France, along with the pair of African teams in Egypt and South Africa. Pool C will see a mixture of playing styles on display with Canada and India, known for their counter-attacking hockey, taking on Korea, who rely on building off the back of a structurally solid defence and Spain, who are masters of the possession game. Pool D features multiple powerhouses of hockey in Belgium, Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan. Outside of Pakistan, none of the teams in Pool D have ever won the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, while Pakistan themselves haven’t finished at the top of the podium places since the inaugural edition of the event, back in 1979! All 4 teams will be hungry to change their fortunes and grab the gold medal in Kuala Lumpur next month! The World Cup begins in one month on 5 December with 12 teams in action on opening day! Pool B action between France and Egypt will get the tournament underway at 09:00 local time on the opening day. Germany vs South Africa, Spain vs Canada, Argentina vs Australia and India vs Korea will follow the opening match. Hosts Malaysia will take on Chile in the final encounter of the opening day, with the hopes of making a perfect start in front of their passionate home fans. To see the full match schedule, click here. Malaysia has a rich relationship with the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cups, having hosted the event on three occasions in the past. The cities of Kuala Lumpur (1982), Ipoh (1989) and Johor Bahru (2009) hosted the second, fourth and ninth editions of the event respectively. The 13th edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup will see Kuala Lumpur play hosts once again, 41 years since the event was last held in Malaysia’s capital city. As the popularity of Hockey continues to rise in Malaysia, the country will once again welcome the hockey world, in what promises to be another spectacular edition of the biennial event that starts off exactly one month from today! Relive all the magical action from the previous edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2021, on the “Explore section” of the Watch.Hockey app! Find out more about the home team Malaysia and how they are banking on the emotions of playing in front of their passionate home fans to produce their best ever finish, by clicking here. For more details on the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Malaysia 2023, please click here. #RisingStars #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites 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.

                  South Africa seal Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification

                    November 5, 2023 Lausanne, Switzerland: The African Hockey Road to Paris 2024 games came to an end today with South Africa men and women claiming the gold medals and securing qualification to the Olympic Games Paris 2024! The women’s team were the first to win their gold medal, defeating Nigeria comprehensively by a 9-goal margin in the finals. The South African men’s team faced Egypt in the finals and came away with a narrow 2-1 win to secure their place in the Olympics. Following South Africa’s victory in the men’s competition, second placed Egypt will now move on to the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 where they will get a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In the women’s competition, South Africa in Pool A and Kenya in Pool B comfortably won all their matches to seal their semi-final berths. Nigeria won their Pool A fixture against Zimbabwe to finish second behind South Africa, while Ghana recorded two wins against Namibia and Zambia to finish second behind Kenya in Pool B. The semi-finals saw South Africa and Nigeria come out as victors. Nigeria narrowly edged past Kenya, holding on to a 1-goal lead from the 3rd minute of the game until the very end, to win 1-0 in the first semi-final. South Africa dominated the second semi-final, winning 7-0 against Ghana with six different players getting on the scoresheet! South Africa saved their best performance of the tournament for the last, as they ran riot against a spirited Nigeria side, winning 9-0, with Tarryn Lombard grabbing a hattrick, and six other players scoring a goal apiece. With the win, South Africa sealed their spot in the Olympic Games Paris 2024! In the men’s competition, South Africa and Egypt recorded three wins in three to top their respective pools and qualify for the semi-finals. In Pool A, Uganda, Nigeria and Zimbabwe each recorded one win and two losses to finish tied with 3 points, but Uganda joined South Africa in qualifying for the semi-finals, thanks to a superior goal difference. It was more straightforward in Pool B with Ghana winning their two matches outside of the loss to Egypt, to secure their semi-final spot. South Africa and Egypt were the two highest ranked sides entering the tournament and both put in outstanding performances in the semi-finals, securing big wins to make it to the finals. Egypt registered a 9-1 win over Uganda in the first semi-final. South Africa made light work of Ghana in the second semi-final, winning 7-0 to set up a tantalising finals match-up against Egypt. The finals got off to a flying start with South Africa opening the scoring in the first minute of the game, but it took Egypt less than two minutes to get back level. The cagey affair followed for the rest of the game as neither team came particularly close to breaking the tie until Ryan Julius finally got South Africa back ahead in the 51st minute. Egypt tried their best to find the equaliser late on, replacing their keeper with an additional outfield player, but South Africa held on to win and grab Olympic Games Paris 2024 qualification. A total of 12 teams, in each of the men’s and women’s categories, will compete in Hockey at the Olympic Games. Hosts France have gained direct qualification. Australia (men and women) were winners of the Oceania Cup, which sealed their qualification, while Netherlands (men and women) qualified as the European champions. India (men) and China (women) clinched their spots at the Olympics through their gold medal victories at the Asian Games. Argentina (men and women) sealed their spots at the Olympics as winners of the Pan American Games. With South Africa (men and women) qualifying to the games, we now have all 5 direct qualifiers for the games joining the hosts France in the men’s and women’s competition. The FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024, which will be held in January 2024, provide a second opportunity for teams to qualify for the remaining 6 spots at the Olympic Games. Please visit Olympics.Hockey for the latest news and all the information from FIH about the Paris 2024 hockey Olympic tournaments! #EnrouteToParis #HockeyInvites #HockeyEquals For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

                    Argentina seal Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification

                      November 5, 2023 Lausanne, Switzerland: Hockey at Pan American Games 2023 came to an end today with Argentina men and women claiming the gold medals and securing qualification to the Olympic Games Paris 2024! Both the Argentine teams defended their titles from the 2019 edition of the games. The men’s team were the first to win their gold medal, defeating Chile 3-1 in the finals. The women’s team faced USA in the finals and came away with a thrilling 2-1 win to secure their 8th gold medal at the Pan American Games. Following Argentina’s victory in the men’s competition, second placed Chile and third placed Canada will now move on to the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 where they will get a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Following Argentina’s victory in the women’s competition, USA, Chile and Canada will now move on to the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 where they will get a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In the men’s competition, Argentina and Canada went unbeaten in the pool stages securing 3 wins from their 3 contests. In Pool A, Argentina were particularly ruthless, scoring 35 goals and conceding just twice to amass a +33 goal difference from 3 games. Canada faced a much tougher challenge in Pool B, with the game against USA going down to the wire, but Canada came out 2-1 winners to seal their place at the top of Pool B. Chile and USA finished second in Pool A & B respectively with 2 wins apiece, to secure their spot in the semi-finals. Argentina made it to the finals by easing their way past USA with a 2-0 victory, that could have been a much wider margin, but the defending champions could not capitalise on any of their 7 penalty corners in the game. The second semi-final saw Chile upset higher ranked Canada in the shoot-outs, after the teams were tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time. The finals saw Argentina and Chile meet for the second time in the tournament after their Pool A clash. For the second time it was Argentina who started on the front foot, taking the lead early in the first quarter. Chile managed to equalise at the end of third quarter but Argentina scored twice in the fourth quarter to win gold for the eleventh time and seal their spot at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Canada won the bronze medal match against USA to join Chile in securing a spot in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024. Tomas Domene who top scored for Argentina at the Pan American Games, speaking after the finals, said: “It’s a dream come true, I am extremely happy. We arrived in Santiago with a goal and we achieved it. This is a group effort, and each of us gave our all to be able to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics today.” In the women’s competition, Argentina and Chile comfortably topped their pools winning all three of their contests. In Pool A, Argentina conceded just one goal in their three games, while scoring 34 of their own. It was similar smooth sailing for Chile in Pool B, where they kept clean sheets in all three of their encounters while scoring 14 goals of their own. USA and Canada finished second in Pool A & B respectively to qualify for the semi-finals as well. Argentina eased past Canada with a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Valentina Raposo, Delfina Thome and Julieta Jankunas. In the second semi-final, hosts Chile were looking like strong favourites and took an early lead in the game, but another upset was on the cards as USA equalised in the final quarter and edged the shoot-out to join Argentina in the finals. The finals was a closely contested affair. Argentina took the lead in the 12th minute via Agustina Gorzelany’s penalty corner goal, but USA struck right at the end of the first half via a penalty stroke converted by Ashley Sessa. Both sides played a cagey second half with scoring chances created few and far between. It was Argentina who took the lead back in the 51st minute via Eugenia Trinchinetti. USA mounted the pressure late on, winning two penalty corners in the final 2 minutes, while Argentina were down to 10 players as Maria Granatto received a yellow card in the 55th minute. But Argentina’s experienced defence held fort and secured the 2-1 victory to earn a record extending 8th gold medal at women’s hockey in the Pan American Games. Chile were the winners of the bronze medal, riding on the back of amazing support from the home crowd to defeat Canada 2-0. Ace drag flicker of the Argentinian team, Agustina Gorzelany, speaking after being crowned the gold medalists at the victory ceremony said: “The truth is I’m super excited. Just talking about it makes my eyes fill with tears. I’m happy, we already have the ticket to Paris 2024. We accomplished our first objective, and I’m already looking forward to the Olympics.” A total of 12 teams, in each of the men’s and women’s categories, will compete in Hockey at the Olympic Games. Hosts France have gained direct qualification. Australia (men and women) were winners of the Oceania Cup, which sealed their qualification, while Netherlands (men and women) qualified as the European champions. India (men) and China (women) clinched their spots at the Olympics through their gold medal victories at the Asian Games. Argentina (men and women) have now sealed their spots at the Olympics, and will be joined later today by the winners of the African Hockey Road to Paris 2024 tournament. The FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024, which will be held in January 2024, provide a second opportunity for teams to qualify for the remaining 6 spots at the Olympic Games. Please visit Olympics.Hockey for the latest news and all the information from FIH about the Paris 2024 hockey Olympic tournaments!

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