FIH Pro League | Olympic Champions given a scare by South Africa

    South Africa concluded their FIH Pro League tournament against Olympic Champions Belgium. The SA Men knew they would have a massive challenge ahead of them as the Belgians had won the previous four encounters with a combined 28-6 score line including the 5-0 victory yesterday. The game started off sensationally with South Africa winning an early penalty corner following some good work by the returning Dayaan Cassiem. The penalty corner itself was nothing short of perfection as Connor Beauchamp  rifled the ball into the roof of the net. It was a rocket of a penalty corner and gave the African Champions a massive lift. Belgium would level but it would take a remarkable team goal of quick incisive play to create the goal finished off coolly by Nelson Onana. South Africa though continued to trouble the Belgians and were a good value opposition with Mustapha Cassiem enjoying making a nuisance of himself. The second quarter continued to follow the pattern of the first with both sides having opportunities and the South Africans looking very dangerous on the counter as the likes of Bili Ntuli, Dayaan Cassiem and Keenan Horne combined fluidly throughout. But the half reached its conclusion with a probably fair score line of 1-1. Early in the third quarter South Africa had a big chance through skipper Keenan Horne. The Striker was afforded space, but his tomahawk shot flew narrowly over the bar. The Belgians would take that lifeline and in 5 intense minutes push the pressure home. Florent van Aubel took advantage of a lapse in concentration in the South African defence to leap onto the ball and finish into the back of the net. Tom Boon then followed suite by robbing the ball from Tyson Dlungwana and finishing with incredible pace and added his second from a penalty corner. 4-1 at the end of the third quarter. South Africa continued to trouble the Belgians and ask questions which led to a reward for the team. Another penalty corner was awarded and the South Africans once again turned to Connor Beauchamp who took the opportunity like a season professional. It was a consolation, but it was a massively deserving one for a superb performance. For the South Africans all eyes now turn to the Commonwealth Games in 50 days where they will be looking to emulate or improve on their performances from previous tournaments, while applying the lessons taught throughout an incredible FIH Pro League experience.

    Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

    SA Women’s Hockey Squad announced for the Commonwealth Games

      In 50 Days’ time Team South Africa begin their Commonwealth Games challenge in Birmingham. The games initially awarded to Durban will be the 22nd hosting of the multi-sport event and the 7th staging of field hockey at the event. South Africa have competed in every event along with Australia, Canada, England, India, New Zealand and Scotland, with a best finish of 4th in 2010 and 2014. New Zealand are the defending champions having stunned Australia in the event in 2018 on the Gold Coast. The South African Women are in Pool B alongside five times champions Australia, defending champions New Zealand, African neighbours Kenya and Scotland. The top 2 teams in each pool progress to the semi-finals and by virtue of that will have a shot at one of the medals. Today SASCOC announced the SA Womens Hockey Team that will head to Birmingham just after completion of the FIH Hockey World Cup in Spain and Netherlands and will hopefully be buoyed by a massive performance in the Hockey showpiece. All 18 players selected for the Commonwealth Games are from the FIH World Cup Squad and the likes of Jean-Leigh du Toit and Maboloke (Nepo) Serage will look to add to their first caps earned at that tournament. Kristen Paton, Lisa Deetlefs, Erin Christie, Phumelela Mbande and Quanita Bobbs were all part of the 2018 Commonwealth Games Squad, while Lilian du Plessis, Bobbs, Costin and Deetlefs featured in 2014. Deetlefs will be attending her fourth Commonwealth Games having attended her first in 2010.  South Africa Squad for Commonwealth Games (Caps as of 08 June 2022) Player Caps Player Caps Bernadette Coston 155 Lilian du Plessis 145 Bianca Wood 12 Maboloke Serage 0 Edith Molikoe 5 Marizen Marais 36 Erin Christie 63 Onthatile Zulu 14 Hannah Pearce 16 Phumelela Mbande 57 Hanrie Louw 5 Quanita Bobbs 142 Jean-Leigh du Toit 0 Robyn Johnson 28 Kristen Paton 43 Shirndré-Lee Simmons 5 Lisa-Marie Deetlefs 271 Tarryn Lombard 52   Reserves Kayla de Waal, Charne Maddocks, Kirsty Adams, Sylvia van Jaarsveldt & Mathaphelo Ramasimong South Africa fixtures for Commonwealth Games 29 July 2022 – SA vs. Scotland 31 July 2022 – SA vs. Australia 2 August 2022 – South Africa vs. Kenya 4 August 2022 – South Africa vs. New Zealand Source: SAHockey.co.za

      A class act from Belgium men and women against South Africa men and China women

        07 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Belgium men continued their winning run as the FIH Hockey Pro league moves into the latter stages. It was business as usual for Tom Boon as he scored another three goals as Belgium put on a masterclass in game management against South Africa. Against China, the Belgium women put on a passing masterclass with two of their three goals splitting the normally solid China defence. Belgium vs South Africa (men) – Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein-Antwerp (BEL) Belgium men put paid to South Africa’s hopes of a first win in the FIH Pro League when they put on a clinical display of goalscoring and possession play to dominate proceedings in this mid-week fixture. Nicolas de Kerpel opened the scoring for Belgium when he ran onto a cross from Arthur de Sloover in the fifth minute of the game. It was another 21 minutes before the Red Lions found the net again and that was largely thanks to the heroic goalkeeping efforts of Gowan Jones and Siyavuya Nolutshungu who shared responsibilities during the match. The next goal was the first of three from Tom Boon. Clever running in the circle by the striker meant he received the ball from Tanguy Cosyns behind the line of defence and was able to tap the ball home for Belgium’s second. South Africa were unlucky when Conor Beauchamp’s penalty corner strike bounced off the post and Beauchamp came close a few minutes later when his shot just flew wide of the Belgium goal. Tom Boon’s second goal was a ripper of a penalty corner that flew into the goal after taking a touch from Nicholas Spooner. Alexander Hendrickx was next to find his way onto the scoresheet, again from a penalty corner. The fifth and final goal came from the stick of Tom Boon as he latched onto a penalty corner rebound. His shot from a slightly raised ball went into the ground and bounced past the ‘keeper, who was wrong-footed. If there were to be a criticism of the Belgium team it would be that during the match the team had 43 circle entries and 29 shots, with just five goals to show for that amount of attacking incursions. Head Coach Michael van der Heuvel may well see that as an area for improvement. Unsurprisingly Boon was Player of the Match. He said: ‘I think we didn’t start too well but we built during the game. Their goalies played very well. Our press was good and five goals was a good reward. It was good to have Alex Hendrickx and Arthur van Doren back. We are now building towards the World Cup, so it is good to have all the players back.’ Boon’s goals put him in equal second place in the FIH Pro league goal scorers table, level with Nick Bandurak of England and six behind Harmanpreet Singh of India. South Africa Head Coach Gareth Ewing said: ‘We showed a lot of intent but the third quarter put the game to bed. the guys played really well defensively. Tomorrow we have to make more of the situations when we have the ball. We need to put them under more pressure. We need to make the goalkeepers make some saves.’ The result moves Belgium to fifth with five games still to play. South Africa remain at the bottom of the table with just one game to play. Belgium vs China (women) – Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein-Antwerp (BEL)  Ahead of the first of two matches between Belgium and China, the new Head Coach to China Alyson Annan spoke admiringly of her team’s ‘extraordinary skills levels’ and willingness to work hard. That said, the first quarter was all about the vision and passing ability of the home side. A beautiful cross-field pass from Pauline Leclef split the China defence and Charlotte Engelbert was on hand to receive the ball, twist and turn past the defence and then place her shot neatly into the corner of Liu Ping’s goal. The second goal came from a cross-field aerial. Captain Michelle Struijk played the next ball swiftly and Alexia T’Serstevens was on hand to tap the ball into the goal. With only a couple of seconds left in the quarter, it seemed as if the China defence had momentarily switched off. The second quarter saw China with a chance to come back into the game when Gu Bingfeng stepped up to take a penalty stroke after Stephanie vanden Borre stopped the ball on the line with her body. The stroke itself was weak and Elena Sotgui in the Belgium goal had no problem saving it. There were no further goals in the first half but just 90 seconds into the third quarter and Belgium’s captain Michelle Struijk got onto the scoresheet. An initial shot was well saved by Liu Ping but the rebound fell kindly to Struijk, who made no mistake as she fired the ball home to bring the score to 3-0. A late surge by China in the fourth quarter saw the visiting side win a series of penalty corners. Eventually Zhang Ying made a penalty corner count with a well-placed shot into the corner of the goal. This was Zhang’s first senior goal. China won more penalty corners in the final minutes and it will be a concern to the China coaching team that the conversion rate – one from seven – wasn’t better. Player of the Match, Michelle Struijk (BEL) said: ‘It was an important game to win. These games are perfect preparation for the World Cup. Every game we play some good hockey but also we play some bad hockey, so it is good to look back and learn from each match. We were winning 3-0 and now we need to keep the zero and score more goals. That is a big thing for us. We need to find the way to dare to play when we are ahead.’ Alyson Annan, Head Coach to China, said: ‘After the third goal we

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        FIH CEO Thierry Weil: “Hockey5s is a great lever to grow hockey”

          7 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: In an exclusive interview with FIH.hockey, FIH CEO Thierry Weil reflects on the Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 which took place in the Olympic Capital on 4 and 5 June. Thierry, what do you keep in mind from this first Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022? What I particularly enjoyed was the fact that people having a walk at the Place de la Navigation around the lake in Lausanne, stopped, looked at what was going on and eventually decided to move into the stadium and watch the games! This was exactly the purpose of this event: bringing hockey to people. Then of course the huge enthusiasm of the players to play this format – for some of them for the first time – as well as the intensity of the matches were a blessing. India men – considered as pre-tournament favourites – won. But for the women, the winners were Uruguay, therefore confirming that Hockey5s enables nations who are not necessarily regarded as powerhouses of world hockey to excel. How do you look at this? Here again, this is fantastic since one of the main reasons why FIH has decided to boost the promotion of Hockey5s is precisely because this format enables some smaller nations to play at the same level as the traditionally bigger ones and even beat them! Extrapolating from this, it means that numerous nations in the world could start hockey with Hockey5s, which it’s simpler and cheaper to put in place. Speaking of India, what do you think of the current situation with Hockey India? It’s 100% clear that every National Association has to make sure that its Statutes are compliant with the sports code of the local authorities. Therefore, if this is not the case for Hockey India at the moment, then this has to happen. However, this situation does not affect FIH’s full trust in Hockey India. Indeed, Hockey India has been and continues to be a key actor of the development of our sport, not only in the country, but also for the world, as an outstanding organiser of numerous FIH events. How can Hockey5s support the overall growth of hockey? Hockey5s is a great lever to boost the growth of hockey at the global level. Thanks to its less restrictive infrastructure – smaller field – but also to the required number of players, the practice of Hockey5s can be a real development asset for many nations in the world. Developing the sport is the number 1 mission of any international federation. The same goes for FIH. This is why, among other things, the FIH has decided to create a Hockey5s World Cup (first edition in 2024). In addition, the size of the field also makes it possible to anchor the Hockey5s in the heart of cities, giving it an urban dimension that is very fashionable and attractive, especially among young people. Finally, Hockey5s is an excellent springboard, a “gateway”, to 11-a-side hockey. #Hockey5s #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites 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.

          India men and Uruguay women crowned champions of the inaugural Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022!

            After 2 days of swashbuckling Hockey5s action through 22 total games, we have our first ever winners of the Hockey5s event, with Uruguay, who won every match they played at the event, overcoming hosts Switzerland in the women’s final to become the Women’s Champions; while India who started the event as favourites in the men’s event, lived up to the billing prevailing over Poland to become the inaugural Champions in the Men’s event! Overcast conditions in Lausanne proved to be a foreshadowing of the day to come as it rained goals throughout the day with teams getting more familiar with the format of the game and the tactics best suited to prevail in it. India, the eventual champions set the tone for the day with an offensive masterclass in a 7-3 win over Malaysia and from there the barrage of goals never ceased with a total of 78 goals scored in the 10 games! Switzerland men caused the biggest upset of the day with a 7-5 win over Pakistan in a game that they trailed for most parts but kept finding ways to come back! India defeated Poland with another clinical attacking performance in the group stage match which left Pakistan to win their final match against Malaysia to seal their place in the finals. Malaysia, who had just 1 point from their first 3 games, brought their A-game into their last match and played out a thrilling 5-5 draw against Pakistan in a game where the lead swung from every couple of minutes! The draw for Pakistan meant Poland finished over them in the 2nd position with 2 wins and 2 losses, and moved to the finals against India who ended the group stage with 3 wins and a draw. On the women’s side, Uruguay won their 3rd and 4th match of the pool stage against South Africa and Poland to go 4 for 4 and finish top of the table with comfortable ease. The 2nd final’s spot was up for grabs for all the other 4 teams however. Hosts Switzerland who started the day in the 2nd place lost their opening encounter to India and had to rely on other results to make it to the finals. India and South Africa played the final pool stage game and after a thrilling 4-4 draw, it was the Swiss fairytale that continued to the final. The women’s final started off with an early goal from the home team on the back of a booming crowd that certainly believed in their team. But Uruguay showed no nerves and went about their business in the calmest of manners and within 5 minutes of going behind they had not only restored parity, but also found a second and third goal to take a comfortable 2 goal lead into the half time. Skipper Manuela Vilar found the goal twice and Teresa Viana, who finished as the Top Goal Scorer and Best Player overall, found the third. The second of the game was a clinic in game management from Uruguay as they bossed possession and killed off any hopes of a Swiss comeback to win the finals by a 3-1 margin, becoming the inaugural champions of the Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022! If there were any doubts about the ability of the Hockey5 format to upset the pecking order, it was erased within 4 minutes of the Men’s finals, as Poland, who were the distinct underdogs, shocked India with 3 goals before India could find their feet in the game! But with 16 minutes left in the game, Indian nerves were settled by a thumping goal by Sanjay that got them going. Captain Gurinder got a second goal before the half time, that allowed India to trail by just 1 goal going into the half, and the game was anyone’s to win! India had all the momentum going into the half and they started the second half in a similar vein. Boby Singh Dhami got India the leveller in the 1st minute and that was followed by some genius from the Player of the Tournament and Top Goal Scorer Raheel Mohammed scoring 2 goals to give India a 2-goal lead. Poland got a 4th goal that could have got them a way back into the game, but once again it was Raheel Mohammed who brilliantly set up another goal for Boby Singh Dhami that effectively ended the game with just 1 minute left. Awards: Best Goalkeeper (Women): Ursina Fazis (SUI) Best Player (Women): Teresa Viana (URU) Top Scorer (Women): Teresa Viana (URU) Best Goalkeeper (Men): Lars Kleikemper (SUI) Best Player (Men): Mohammed Raheel (IND) Top Scorer (Men): Mohammed Raheel (IND) Results: Women’s Competition URU 4-2 RSA IND 4-3 SUI POL 1-2 URU IND 4-4 RSA Men’s Competition IND 7-3 MAS SUI 7-5 PAK IND 6-2 POL PAK 5-5 MAS Women’s Finals: URU 3-1 SUI Men’s Finals: IND 6-4 POL

            Hockey5s thrills fans as picturesque Lausanne plays backdrop to the beginning of a new hockey era

              The Hockey5s era has officially gotten underway in the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, as 10 teams took to the field on Day 1 of the Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022, with the Lac Leman providing a serene backdrop, in contrast to the unceasing thrill of Hockey5s being played on the field right next to it! The day started off with a bang, with the Swiss men’s team scoring in the final seconds to draw 4-4 against Malaysia, after having trailed 4-1 with just 5 minutes left in the contest. The women’s team did one better, also overcoming an early deficit to win their first contest against Poland by a 3-1 scoreline. Two great results got the home crowd going early and it was a perfect precursor to the action that was to follow the rest of the day. The crowd was further entertained early as what followed was the “Grass meets Ice” exhibition match between Lausanne Hockey Club (ice hockey) players and a special FIH team! An early upset followed the exhibition match through a win by Uruguay over India in the women’s competition, but it was proof of the notion that Hockey5s make for an open contest with any team having a good chance of beating their opponent on the day. There were further upsets on the card through the day as Poland registered a thumping 5-0 win over a more fancied Malaysian men’s team, while the pre-tournament favourites, Indian eves, suffered a second consecutive loss at the hands of Poland. Pakistan and Indian men took wins in their first matches against Poland and Switzerland respectively, which set up the much-awaited clash between the two classic hockey rivals. The crowd filled in and the atmosphere was at its liveliest, and the two Asian hockey giants did not disappoint with a thrilling contest that ended in a 2-2 draw, but was not lacking in action, with Pakistan scoring an equaliser with just 30 seconds left in the game after India had taken a 2nd half lead. With the top 2 teams in each of men’s and women’s category, going straight into the finals tomorrow, the value of each point and each goal is massive for all teams. The points table in the Men’s category currently has Poland (3 games played) on top after their 2 consecutive wins against Malaysia and Switzerland, following an early loss to Pakistan. Pakistan and India sit on 2nd and 3rd positions respectively with 4 points apiece, having played 1 fewer game than Poland and Switzerland. Switzerland sit in the 4th position with 1 point from 3 games ahead of Malaysia who have 1 point from 2 games played. In the Women’s competition, Uruguay sit in the first place having registered 2 wins in 2 games, with a 4-0 win in their second contest over hosts Switzerland, who themselves sit in the 2nd place with 2 wins out of 3 beating South Africa and Poland before falling to Uruguay late in the day. South Africa are placed third after a win in the last game of the day against Poland, who are placed 4th ahead of India who are pointless after 2 defeats in 2 games. On the occasion of the first FIH Inclusion and Diversity Day, the following statement has been read out by players of the national squads during the opening ceremony. A lot more of scintillating Hockey5s action to come tomorrow as the teams will all complete their set of 4 league games, before the top two teams go ahead to play the finals! Results Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 (Men) (M) SUI 4-4 MAL (M) PAK 4-2 POL (M) IND 4-3 SUI (M) MAS 0-5 POL (M) PAK 2-2 IND (M) POL 3-2 SUI Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 (Women) (W) SUI 3-1 POL (W) IND 3-4 URU (W) RSA 1-3 SUI (W) IND 1-3 POL (W) URU 4-0 SUI (W) POL 2-5 RSA

              FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2022

              FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup: One Month To Go!

                In exactly one month, on July 1, the best players in the world will start the greatest show amongst the women’s events organised under the banner of the International Hockey Federation (FIH): the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup! The 15th edition of FIH’s flagship event will be staged in Terrassa, Spain, and Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Terrassa Olympic Stadium was the hockey venue for the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. The Wagener Stadium, located in Amstelveen, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, has hosted numerous top-flight matches including World Cups, European Championships or FIH Hockey Pro League encounters. The magnificent draw ceremony held on 17 February 2022 in Terrassa, at the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia, produced four really exciting Pools: Pool A: Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Chile Pool B: England, New Zealand, India, China Pool C: Argentina, Spain, Korea, Canada Pool D: Australia, Belgium, Japan, South Africa The opening match will see hosts Spain taking on Canada, on 1 July, in Terrassa. The excitement among the players is mounting! Maria López (ESP) says the team “feels so excited because for us it’s an incredible experience to play at home, with our friends and families cheering for us!”. Phumelela Mbande and Bernadette Coston (RSA) focus on “developing our own brand of hockey, to then playing it consistently at an international stage.” Jane Claxton (AUS) tells about the eagerness of the Hockeyroos to “finally joining back to the world! We’re just thrilled to be able to be traveling again and participating on the international stage.” Eunbi Cheon (KOR) wishes for a better performance this time: “In 2018, we had players injured. But now we’re all ready to go, so at the moment we are very confident about being able to show our best.” Natalie Sourisseau (CAN) thinks “it’s going to be a really great tournament because it’s just a chance to showcase ourselves and showcase our team”. The officials are ready and looking forward to an amazing tournament too! In an exclusive interview with FIH, Kelly Hudson (NZL) and Michelle Meister (GER) tell about the magic memories of the previous edition in London in 2018. Fans still wishing to be part of the July hockey show need to hurry up to book their seats in the stands! Tickets are being sold via the following online ticketing platforms: https://bit.ly/Tickets-Spain (for matches in Spain) https://wkhockey2022.com/ (for matches in the Netherlands) Last but not least, the tournament’s mascot , Lyla – a lovely dragon symbolizing the values of women in Hockey: passion, strength, wisdom, change, courage, vitality, protection and majesty – has already started a “World Tour”, having some great time with all the teams ahead of the event. In short, all ingredients are there to enjoy a truly amazing event of world-class hockey in just 30 days! #HWC2022 #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please visit FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

                Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022

                FIH Hockey5s – Lausanne all set for Hockey5s showcase

                  It’s a world first that will provide a showcase for hockey and bring the sport to new audiences.  The Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 event is the first official senior World Hockey5s competition to be organised by FIH and it builds on the success of Hockey5s events that have been taking place across the world, including the Youth Olympic Games events in Nanjing 2014 and Buenos Aires 2018. Taking place in the centre of the Olympic Capital Lausanne on June 4-5, Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 will be two days of hockey action, fun and entertainment. The hockey action will see the men’s teams of India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland and Switzerland compete in a round robin style tournament, with a final between the two top teams. The women’s competition, following the same format, will see home nation Switzerland take on teams from India, Poland, South Africa and Uruguay. Spectators at the event will be able to enjoy some amazingly fast and skilful hockey action. Hockey5s is a shorter, more intense style of play. A match comprises two halves of 10 minutes and the ball is in play for 90 per cent of that time, thanks to perimeter boards that the ball can be played off. There should also be a glut of goals as players can shoot from anywhere in the attacking half.  This event, and the increasing number of Hockey5s events world wide is creating excitement among players and coaches. South African coach Tsoanelo Pholo said: ‘Hockey5s is an initiator into hockey, a developer into the full-field version. If you have a Hockey5s court in three or four places in the country, I am telling you now, we are going to have way more hockey players in developing countries.’ Swiss athlete Sae Fontana said: ‘As early adopters of Hockey5s, we want to gain a competitive advantage, to get better rapidly, as a small country. Hockey5s is a fast game which makes it intense for the players.’ There will be some superstars, both established and up and coming, showing their skills at the Place de la Navigation, near Lake Geneva.  For India men, Dilpreet Singh is an exciting young player who has already played for the national team 63 times. He and Sumit, who will also be in Lausanne, won a Bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year! India men will be a leading contender for the title. If Dilpreet is experienced with 63 caps, then Nabil Noor of Malaysia is a veritable veteran of the game. With 239 international appearances, the captain will look to lead his side of talented players to a first title. Pakistan men led the way in the sport throughout the 20th century and it is exciting to see what this young team can do in a new format of the game. The speed and intensity will suit the super close skills of the Pakistan team. Both Poland and Switzerland men’s teams will be looking to transfer some of the skills and tactics of the indoor game onto the court in Lausanne. Poland is a specialist when it comes to the short form of the game and Switzerland, led by Sebastian Schneider, will have the advantage of a home crowd. In the women’s section, Uruguay will be bringing some South American flair to the hockey party. They will also bring a lot of experience, with Manuela Vilar leading the way. Elisa Civetta was one of the Uruguay stars of the Junior World Cup in April and will be keen to show her goal scoring abilities.  Like their male counterparts, Switzerland will enjoy a home crowd cheering them on. They are early adopters of Hockey5s and will relish this opportunity to star on the international stage. Jade Mayne and Dirkie Chamberlain are veterans of the South African team and bring a wealth of experience. With a compelling mix of experienced and young players, the African challengers will be looking for a top of the podium finish. Poland has the most overall experienced side at the competition and will be looking to use their indoor hockey skills and tactics to make a big impact in Lausanne. The Poland U18 team finished seventh in Buenos Aires at the 2018 Youth Olympics, so will be tapping into that experience too. The fifth women’s team in Lausanne is India. Having enjoyed a silver medal performance in the Hockey5s in Buenos Aires in 2018 and a fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, India women will be determined to continue their upwards trajectory. For all information on the Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 event in Lausanne, click here.