Captain Cassiem inspires South Africa to the title in the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup

04 December, 2022 A Dayaan Cassiem masterclass leads South Africa to victory over Ireland in the thrilling final of the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022, securing qualification into the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 season for the hosts. The packed crowd in Potchefstroom was treated to an end-to-end display of attacking hockey in a closely fought match that ended in a 4-3 win in favor of South Africa. The attacking stars from both teams showed up in the big finals with Dayaan Cassiem and Shane O’Donoghue scoring twice, while Tevin Kok, Mustaphaa Cassiem and John McKee also getting on the scorecard. Dayaan Cassiem was especially brilliant, scoring two fantastic goals for the hosts in the first half before winning the penalty stroke, scored by younger brother Mustaphaa, that gave South Africa the win in the final quarter. Ireland piled the pressure on the South African goal in search of a late equalizer, but the experienced heads of Jethro Eustice, Keenan Horne and goalkeeper Hendrik Kriek kept the Irish at bay and sealed a historic win for South Africa in front of a raucous home crowd. Earlier in the day Korea got the better of Malaysia in the all-Asian affair in the bronze medal match. Korea were dominant from start to finish, not allowing Malaysia any opportunity to get in the game, scoring twice in the first half and twice again in the second. Jonghyun Jang continued his purple streak from the penalty corners, scoring his 7th goal of the campaign to finish as the top scorer of the tournament. France finished their campaign in the 5th place, edging Japan in the shoot-outs after a closely contested match where France scored two first quarter goals, but Japan came back to level the scores and had great chances in the dying moments of the final quarter to claim a win. French captain Victor Charlet scored two penalty strokes in the shoot-out and French keeper Arthur Thieffry saved two Japanese shoot-out attempts to seal the win for the European team. In the 7th place playoff Canada and Pakistan played a 9-goal thriller, that swung multiple times and was finally settled through a 58th minute goal by Usama Bashir to earn Pakistan their first win in the tournament. 7th Place Match: Canada vs Pakistan 4-5Β  Pakistan started the 7th place playoff game on the attack, scoring two goals inside the first 6 minutes of the game. Canada didn’t let Pakistan run away with the game, and found two goals of their own to end the first half on level terms. Both teams scored a goal each from penalty corners and open play. The second half continued to follow a back and forth pattern. Pakistan struck first in the 4th quarter after a scoreless 3rd, but Canada answered back within a minute. Canada then took the lead for the first time in the game with 6 minutes left, through a second Sean Murray goal, from a penalty corner. Pakistan responded instantly as a brilliant move from the right by Abdul Rana split the defense and allowed him to lift the ball over the keeper, into the net. Pakistan carried the momentum into the final minutes and a brilliant counter attacking move resulted in a goal scored by a diving Usama Bashir, to give Pakistan the lead with 3 minutes left to play that they carried to the end. Usama Bashir, the winning goal scorer for Pakistan, was awarded the player of the match and said: β€œIt came a bit late but as the tournament went on we started implementing the plan that coach Aikman had devised for us. That is what has got us the win today and we will improve further in the future.” 5th Place Match: France vs Japan 2-2 (Shoot-out: 4-2) The French resurgence at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup continued as they finished their campaign on a high with a shoot-out win against Japan to claim the 5th position. Japan finish in the 6th place at the end of a good campaign that could’ve ended very differently had a few key moments gone their way. France were quicker off the block and threatened to run away with the game, scoring twice in the first quarter. Captain Victor Charlet added the 5th goal of his campaign from a thundering penalty corner and TimothΓ©e ClΓ©ment scored his first goal, diving across the goal to deflect a cross sent in by Gaspard Xavier. Japan brushed off the first quarter and showed improved performance in the final three quarters to end the regulation time tied at 2 goals apiece. Kentaro Fukuda got the first goal for Japan and Ken Nagayoshi added a second from a penalty corner. France were perfect from the shoot-out, scoring from their 4 attempts, of which two were awarded as penalty strokes, which captain Victor Charlet dispatched with incredible ease. Arthur Thieffry, playing in his 100th game for France made 2 great saves on the 3rd and 4th Japanese attempts, with the second save winning the game for France. Corentin Sellier was awarded the player of the match, and speaking of his team’s overall campaign said: β€œWe had a slow start to the tournament with a few members of our team carrying injuries, so we could not make the semi-finals. But it is good to show what we can do at full strength and finish at the best possible position outside of the top 4 spots.” Bronze medal match: Malaysia vs Korea 0-4Β  The Bronze medal match set-up a replay of the opening day match between Korea and Malaysia, where Korea had edged Malaysia in a narrow 1-0 win. While Korea once again emerged victors in the repeat contest, the margin between the two teams was much wider this time, thanks to the offensive masterclass the Korean attack put in. After a goalless first quarter, Korea added two goals that gave them a lead they fully deserved. Seo Inwoo scored the opener before captain Namyong

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Tayyab Ikram (MAC)

Tayyab Ikram (MAC) elected as new President of FIH

5 November 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Tayyab Ikram (MAC) was elected as new President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) today by the FIH Congress. Of the 126 votes submitted by the member National Associations, Tayyab Ikram attained the required absolute majority of more than half the votes, receiving 79 votes to the 47 given to Marc Coudron (BEL). The duration of the term of the new FIH President will be of 2 years in order to complete the mandate of previous FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra who resigned on 18 July. β€œHockey is my passion, hockey has changed my life and I’m thankful to hockey and the hockey family for this. I express my gratitude to all of you for the confidence you’ve given me today. I promise you that I will carry the message of solidarity and bring the FIH together”, new FIH President Tayyab Ikram said. Maureen Craig-Rousseau (TTO, 88 votes) and Elizabeth Safoa King (GHA, 68 votes) were re-elected to the FIH Executive Board (EB), while Hiroya Anzai (JPN, 72 votes), Piotr Wilkonski (POL, 70 votes) and Deon Morgan (RSA, 66 votes) were elected for the first time as FIH EB members. The term of office of Deon Morgan will be of two years, to take over the remaining two years of Tayyab Ikram’s term. The mandates of the other EB members who were elected or re-elected today will run until the 2026 FIH Congress. Further decisions: The Congress approved the application of the Indonesian Hockey Federation β€œPP FHI” – which is supported by the Indonesian Olympic Committee and the national sports governing bodies of the Republic of Indonesia – as full member of FIH. The application follows the transfer of membership between the Indonesian Hockey Association β€œPHSI” (former national hockey governing body) and the Indonesian Hockey Federation (now FIH member) that was approved by the FIH Executive Board on 4 October 2022. The Indonesian Hockey Federation has met all FIH membership requirements. The 2021 FIH audited accounts were submitted to Congress and subsequently approved The proposed amendments to the FIH Statutes for Articles 7.2 (d), 7.2 (e) and 7.4 (a) have been accepted, while those proposed by EHF have not The recipients of the FIH Honorary Awards – giving recognition to numerous individuals, teams and organisations for their outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey – and the FIH President’s Awards – which are given to individuals for long and valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect – were revealed today as well (see full list of recipients below) The 48th FIH Congress, which was held virtually, had started yesterday with delegates joining a virtual conference titled β€œStronger Together” where major topics such as fan engagement, innovation, sustainability, development or governance were discussed. *********** FIH President’s Awards: Gill Gemming (NZL): an educator, coach, administrator and official, the Chair and a member of both the OHF and the FIH Education and Development Committees has committed her life to the growth and development of hockey and its people Chaiyapak Siriwat (THA): the Vice-President of the Asian Hockey Federation and President of the Thailand Hockey Federation has had an illustrious career in sports management, especially when it comes to event management Marissa Langeni (RSA): as the CEO of the South African Hockey Association during almost 15 years, has played an instrumental role in the promotion of the sport in South Africa and beyond Margaret Hunnaball (ENG): one of the top Umpire Managers in the world, has taken numerous initiatives for the development of umpiring as well as safeguarding, and is a mentor for young officials Willard Harris (TRI): the Chair of the FIH and PAHF Competitions Committees has been associated with the hockey community for 50 years and conducted numerous seminars sharing his experiences with many of the officials that are now officiating internationally Shiraz Ali Yakub (KEN): the FIH Umpire and Umpire Manager from Kenya – also former member of the Executive Board of the African Hockey Federation – has been successfully involved in a wide range of events, from his native country to the global stage Elena Norman (AUS): the CEO of Hockey India is playing an outstanding role in the promotion and development of hockey in India as well as around the globe through the numerous world events which the country has been hosting FIH Honorary Awards: Pablo Negre Trophy: awarded to the French Hockey Federation for the emphasis in their governance on making hockey more inclusive, more sustainable and more accessible Theo Ykema Award: awarded to the Uganda Hockey Association for their great initiatives to develop hockey in the country HRH Sultan Azlan Shah Award: awarded to Tornike Tevdoradze (GEO) for all his activities to grow hockey in Georgia Etienne Glichitch Award: awarded to Gino Schilders (NED), in recognition of his contribution to the growth and development of hockey, in particular for the Czech Hockey Federation in the last 25 years Guust Lathouwers Memorial Trophy: awarded to Miao Lin (CHN) for her accomplishments and commitment that have inspired many Asian umpires Super Fair Play Trophy RenΓ© G. Frank: awarded to the Kazakhstan national team for all the support they provide to other countries, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in particular Order of Merit: awarded to Dr. Michael Green (GER), Shahbaz Ahmad (PAK) and Sarinder Dillon (UK) for their unvaluable dedication and commitment to hockey at all levels Diploma of Merit: awarded to Subahan bin Kamal (MAS) for his significant contribution to the development and advancement of hockey in Malaysia 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. For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.HockeyΒ app or follow the FIH social media channels –Β Facebook,Β InstagramΒ and Twitter – and website. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites

Meeting with Egyptian Sports Minister

Egypt to host the 1st African Hockey 5s World Cup in December 2022

Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, met on Monday with Mr. Seif Ahmed, Acting President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Mr. Sherif Kamal, President of the Ψ§Ω„Ψ§ΨͺΨ­Ψ§Ψ― Ψ§Ω„Ω…Ψ΅Ψ±ΩŠ Ω„Ω„Ω‡ΩˆΩƒΩŠ Egyptian Hockey Federation 2020, Mr. Ahmed Azmy, CEO of the African Hockey Federation and Mr. Tarek Mostafa, Vice President of the Egyptian Hockey Federation. The meeting discussed preparations for Egypt to host the 1st African Hockey 5s World Cup qualifier next December 2022 and the U21 Junior Africa Cup next March 2023. The meeting also reviewed the study of Egypt to host next March a demonstration Hockey 5s Championship by the iconic Pyramids. The meeting took place in the presence of a number of leaders of the Ministry, including Dr. Muhammad Al-Kurdi, Head of the Central Department of Sports Performance and Mr. Ihab Al-Ebyari, Director General of Sports Facilities. Dr. Ashraf Sobhy affirmed Egypt’s full readiness to host various tournaments throughout the year thanks to Egypt’s unique characteristics and in light of the directives of the political leadership to make Egypt a global platform for hosting major tournaments and sporting events. The Minister drew attention to the importance of a good organization of the 1st African Hockey 5s Championship, which is being held in its first edition, and to provide all support to it to achieve success at various levels, wishing success to all participating teams in the tournament. #AfricaHockeyNews #HockeyInvites