23 Dec, 2024 As we bid farewell to 2024, FIH President Tayyab Ikram extends his warmest wishes to the global hockey family. Reflecting on a year of remarkable achievements, he highlights how the global hockey community made significant strides both on and off the field. 2024 has been a particularly special year, marking not only the excitement of the Olympic Games but also the centennial anniversary of the FIH. In the full video below, President Ikram shares his vision for 2025, emphasizing the continued growth of the sport and the many new opportunities on the horizon. As we look ahead to the next Olympic cycle and beyond, let’s come together to build on these historic milestones and make 2025 an even more impactful year for hockey worldwide! Source: FIH.hockey

23 Dec, 2024 As the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Centenary year draws to a close, don’t miss the latest of our milestone’s celebrations: a unique, historical and emotional 26-minute documentary that has just been released by hockey’s world governing body! Focusing on some of the most significant events in the history of hockey and the FIH over the past century, the documentary is based on a plethora of archive footage as well as testimonials from prominent hockey personalities. Called “FIH: A Century for Hockey”, the captivating film is divided into four chapters: The Birth of Hockey – from ancient origins to a codified, skilful, high speed Olympic sport Game Changer – how the move to artificial turf revolutionised the game The Women of Hockey – celebrating the contribution of women in growing hockey around the world Present to Future – how rule changes, new skills, technological innovation and professionalism are turbo charging the growth and popularity of hockey The documentary was created at the initiative of FIH, which entrusted the production to Level Films, a film company with experience and expertise in sports documentary film making and already active in the world of hockey. FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “From seven member associations to a sport played in more than 140 countries today, our journey is a testament to the enduring power of hockey. It has been more than just a game; it has been a force for unity and positive change marking a century of sporting excellence. Throughout 2024, we’ve paid tribute to our athletes, visionary leaders, dedicated volunteers, valued partners, and to all those who have been part of this incredible journey. Our documentary retraces this fascinating odyssey. I can only urge all hockey fans around the world to watch it!» Level Films story Director Matt Crocker added: “We didn’t want to tell the FIH and hockey story as just a sweep through the past century – that would be boring! Instead we framed the film around iconic games, players, teams and actions that progressed the sport in different eras. We wanted to make a film that anyone could enjoy and learn from, often focusing on personal stories and accounts – sometimes moving, sometimes funny, always entertaining. To reflect the speed and skill of the game, the film is fast-paced and visually exciting – combining interviews with famous faces, archive footage, still images and game footage.” Beyond the documentary, the Centenary of FIH was celebrated throughout the year with messages from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, FIH President Tayyab Ikram, a commemorative book, specific branding, and much more. All information about the FIH Centenary, including the documentary, is available here. Source: FIH.hockey

19 Dec, 2024 As we pull the curtains on the riveting hockey year that was 2024, we take a look at how things look in the world rankings heading into the new year of 2025, that promises to bring even more thrilling hockey action your way! In the men’s world rankings, Olympic champions Netherlands (3267) stand at the top of the rankings. Netherlands started the year in the top spot following a great run in the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup, and gold medals at the FIH Hockey Pro League and the EuroHockey Championship in 2023. Adding a gold at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 further solidified their status as the team to beat heading into 2025! A fast start to the 2024-25 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League has propelled England (3139) into second place in the world with Belgium (3124) in third following closely behind, having made a good start to the new Pro League season themselves. Germany (3066) had climbed up to second place following their silver medal at Paris 2024, but a rough start to the Pro League sees them drop two places, down to fourth in the world. India (2955) and Australia (2814) are placed fifth and sixth in the world, with both teams set to start their Pro League seasons at home in February 2025, with Australia playing in Sydney from 4 February, while India will start their campaign on 15 February in Bhubaneswar. Argentina (2722), Spain (2570), France (2116) and Ireland (2112) round out the top-10 to end 2024, with South Africa (2082), New Zealand (2058), Malaysia (1970), Korea (1945) and Pakistan (1942) giving chase as teams ranked from 11 to 15. In the women’s world rankings, Netherlands (3689) had another perfect year winning the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, along with another FIH Hockey Pro League title. The Dutch dominance on field means they remain well clear of the competition on the world ranking table heading into the new year. Argentina (3203) continue to remain in a distant second place, following their bronze medal performance at Paris 2024. They did manage to close the gap between themselves and Netherlands earlier this month, after getting their first win in nearly three years, over the Dutch side in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25. Belgium (2918), Germany (2846) and Australia (2820) started the year as the third, fourth and fifth ranked teams in the world and continue to hold the same positions as we head into 2025. However, following closely behind and rapidly closing the gap are Alyson Annan’s China (2685) who have gone from strength to strength in 2024, with a historic silver medal performance at the Olympics being the crowning achievement in a year where they achieved plenty of new highs. England (2471) are stepping into a new era following a slew of retirements in the aftermath of Paris 2024, and while they hold on to the seventh spot in the world rankings, three losses in four matches to start the new season of the Pro League mean, the chasing pack have now closed in on the English. Spain (2422), India (2350) and New Zealand (2124) round out the top-10 positions heading into 2025. Both Spain and India will aim to climb up the rankings ladder early in 2025 when they start their FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 campaigns in February, in Sydney and Bhubaneswar respectively. The chasing pack behind the top-10 includes Japan (2063) in eleventh, Ireland (2028) in twelfth, United States (1998) in thirteenth, Chile (1962) in fourteenth and Korea (1869) in fifteenth. Biggest Rank Gainers of 2024 While there have been steady movements in the top-10 world rankings, there are teams lower down the order that have made huge strides over 2024. In the men’s rankings Namibia were the biggest movers, going up 20 places from 84 at the start of the year to 64 at the end of it. Trinidad and Tobago also impressively moved up 15 places to end the year as world rank 36, having started the year at 51! Among the women’s teams, once again it’s Namibia with the most impressive showing, gaining 18 places to move from 66 to 48 through 2024. China’s rise from the 10th ranked team in the world at the start of 2024 to their current ranking of 6th in the world, while also rapidly catching up to the teams ahead, has been an enormously impressive feat as well! To see the complete FIH World Rankings, please click here. The rankings calculations model that FIH introduced on 1st January 2020 moved away from the previous tournament-based rankings system to a dynamic, match-based method where opposing teams exchange points in official, FIH sanctioned games. The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match. More information about the new rankings model can be found below. How the FIH World Rankings work: The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match. FIH World Rankings explained: Based on the Elo rating system, which is used as the basis of many other sports ranking systems When two nations play against each other, a number of ranking points are exchanged between them In every match, the number of points gained by one team is exactly matched by the number of points lost by the other Teams will win more points for beating teams ranked above them, and therefore teams will lose more points for losing to a team ranked below them Teams will win less points for beating teams ranked below them, and therefore teams will lose less points for losing to a team ranked above them If a draw occurs, the lower ranked team will gain a small number of points and the higher ranked team will lose the same number of points The number of points exchanged is dependent on

Continue Reading →