Lausanne, Switzerland: Starting from 18 June, for the very first time in the history of the Special Olympics, Hockey for those with Intellectual Disabilities, known as Hockey ID, will be played at the Special Olympics World Games 2023 in Berlin as a demonstration sport. The games which begin tomorrow, 17 June, and run till 25 June, will feature over 7,000 athletes across 26 summer sports from 190 delegations. Hockey ID was chosen as a demonstration sport as one of the two sports from a pool of ten sports, with a key factor that sealed the deal for Hockey ID’s inclusion being the willingness of the FIH, the EHF and other national hockey associations to work in partnership with the Special Olympics. The Hockey ID matches will run from 18 June to 24 June and feature 13 mixed gender teams representing 4 continental hockey federations. Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Pakistan, Paraguay and Spain will all have squads of 10 players present at the games, with hosts Germany being represented by two teams. The matches will be played in a 6-a-side format, on half-sized hockey pitches with each game consisting of two halves of 15-minutes. Each team will field 6 players at one time with 4 additional players available to be substituted in. Belgium, Spain, Great Britain, Egypt, Netherlands, Pakistan and Germany (team 1) have been placed in Pool A, while Paraguay, Czech Republic, France, Chile, Bulgaria and Germany (team 2) have been placed in Pool B. The preliminary rounds will be played from 18 to 22 June, followed by knockout rounds on 22 and 23 June. The finals and the award ceremony are scheduled for 24 June. Norman Hughes, who is the FIH Hockey ID Project Lead and the driving force behind Hockey ID’s inclusion in the games, speaking before the games said: “To have 13 teams representing 4 continents in the very first edition of Hockey ID being played at the Special Olympics, is a very proud moment for our sport and shows the global interest in promoting inclusiveness. Our aim is to use the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 as a tool to inspire more nations to develop and grow Hockey ID.” For more information about HockeyID at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 click here. #HockeyID #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.

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.

6 August 2021 Day 14 (Evening): The Netherlands added the Olympic gold medal to their World, European and FIH Hockey Pro League titles thanks to a 3-1 victory over Argentina, bringing a wonderful Hockey competition at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to a close.  The win gave the Oranje their fourth Olympic crown, with the 2020 gold medal being added to those collected at Los Angeles 1984, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. For team captain Eva de Goede and star attacker Lidewij Welten, it is a third Olympic gold medal and a fourth in total, with both players having been part of the triumphant campaigns in 2008 and 2012 as well as winning silver at Rio 2016.  It is a fitting reward for a Netherlands side that has been the dominant force of women’s international hockey for the past five years, with the team coached by Alyson Annan – herself a double Olympic hockey gold medallist with Australia – absolutely justifying their position as pre-competition favourites.  Argentina made life incredibly difficult for the Netherlands in the first period, although Caia van Maasakker came close to opening the scoring when her penalty corner drag-flick rattled the Argentine crossbar.  The third quarter was decisive, with the Oranje opening up a three-goal lead that would prove too great a mountain for Las Leonas to climb. Margot van Geffen’s superb penalty corner tip-in broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, before van Maasakker scored two unstoppable penalty corner drag-flicks to put the Dutch into a commanding lead.  However, Argentina hit back almost immediately when Agustina Gorzelany’s powerful penalty corner drag-flick squeezed between the legs of Netherlands goalkeeper Josine Koning, giving the South American giants a lifeline going into the final 30 minutes.  Argentina battled hard in an attempt to claw back the situation but found clear goal-scoring opportunities few and far between thanks to the magnificent Dutch defensive line, which only conceded four times in their eight matches here in Tokyo. It was a deserved success for a team that is without question the best in the world, with Argentina having to settle for a third Olympic silver following their final defeats at Sydney 2000 and London 2012.  “It’s amazing – I’m a bit speechless, I’m sorry, I just can’t believe that we actually did it”, said Netherlands captain Eva de Goede after the match. “We worked so hard for it, just like every other team. My fourth Olympics, fourth time in the final, and to win my third gold medal is just something that you not even dare to dream of. “And I’m so happy that after five years ago when we won the silver medal that I can give this gold medal now to the team, to the girls who won the silver there. It’s just the best feeling ever.” When asked about how proud she was to captain this team, de Goede said: “It’s almost an easy job for me. It’s just great to play in a team that’s willing to do better every training, every time we see each other we invest so much time in each other. We are each other’s friends, we have each other’s backs, just can’t be better than this.  “You really see a team playing every single time you step on the pitch and that’s what I’m most proud of, and that’s why I actually started to play hockey because it was most fun to play in a team, and this is it for me.” Argentina captain Noel Barrionuevo said: “I’m feeling sad, but at the same time I’m also feeling happy because at the end we were able to reach an Olympic final, this is something amazing, and we were also able to take the silver home. It was a pretty close game. We were facing a very dynamic rival. They scored their goals very quickly, so we were not able to recover from that.” On how proud she is to win a silver medal for Argentina, Barrionuevo said: “I’m feeling proud, really proud. I’m very proud to represent Argentina here. I’m also proud of the team, and at the end right now I’m feeling like a privileged person.” More information about the match can be found by clicking here. Earlier in the day, Great Britain’s women secured their third successive Olympic medal by edging India 4-3 in a hugely entertaining bronze medal match. The London 2012 bronze and Rio 2016 gold medallists were given a huge test by the Indian team, fighting back from 3-2 down to win 4-3 thanks to strikes from captain Hollie Pearne-Webb and Grace Balsdon in a contest played in sweltering conditions.   It is Great Britain’s fourth Olympic medal, having also medalled at Barcelona 1992 with a 4-3 victory against Korea. It is also a first Olympic medal for Great Britain head coach Mark Hager, who took New Zealand’s women to the bronze medal games at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics but suffered defeat on both occasions. It is a third Olympic medal for defender Laura Unsworth, who was also part of the London and Rio campaigns.  While defeat left India’s players and coaching staff clearly heartbroken, the team captained by Rani and coached by Sjoerd Marijne can leave Tokyo feeling incredibly proud of their achievement, matching their previous best Olympic finish of fourth, which came at Moscow 1980. More information about the match can be found by clicking here.   For all information about the hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, visit https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/hockey/olympic-schedule-and-results.htm. Make sure that you use #Tokyo2020, #Hockey, #StrongerTogether, #HockeyInvites @Tokyo2020 and @olympics on social media when showing your support for your nation. Be sure to follow FIH for all the latest updates as teams and fans get ready for the biggest show on earth – the Olympic Games. Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – Hockey competitions 6 August 2021 – Day 14  Results Bronze – Great Britain 4-3 India Gold – Netherlands 3-1 Argentina Final Standings – Men Gold – Belgium Silver – Australia Bronze – India 4 – Germany 5 – Great Britain 6 – Netherlands 7 – Argentina 8 – Spain

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6 August 2021 Day 14 (Morning): Great Britain’s women secured their third successive Olympic medal by edging India 4-3 in a hugely entertaining bronze medal match at the Oi Hockey Stadium this morning.  The London 2012 bronze and Rio 2016 gold medallists were given a huge test by the Indian team, fighting back from 3-2 down to win 4-3 thanks to strikes from captain Hollie Pearne-Webb and Grace Balsdon in a contest played in sweltering conditions.   It is Great Britain’s fourth Olympic medal, having also medalled at Barcelona 1992 with a 4-3 victory against South Africa. It was also a first medal for Great Britain head coach Mark Hager, who took New Zealand’s women to the bronze medal games at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics but suffering defeat on both occasions. It is a third Olympic medal for defender Laura Unsworth, who was also part of the London and Rio campaigns.  While defeat left India’s players and coaching staff clearly heartbroken, the team captained by Rani and coached by Sjoerd Marijne can leave Tokyo feeling incredibly proud of their achievement, matching their previous best Olympic finish of fourth, which came at Moscow 1980. Despite the on-field temperature reaching 43 degrees Celsius – a situation that lead to the implementation of not only extended quarter time breaks but also mid-quarter hydration breaks – the contest between the two teams was nothing short of thrilling.  Both teams had chances to score in a goal-less first quarter before a flurry of goals arrived in the second period, with Great Britain’s Ellie Rayer and Sarah Robertson – who struck a diving backhand into the goal via the left post – opening up a 2-0 lead.  Incredibly, India responded with three goals in just four minutes, as Gurjit Kaur bagged two penalty corners before Vandana Katariya scored from open play to leave Great Britain trailing at half time.  A captain’s goal from Hollie Pearne-Webb levelled the scores with a rare but high-quality strike from open play five minutes after half time, with the game’s decisive moment coming from the stick of Grace Balsdon early in the fourth quarter, sending a low penalty corner drag-flick between the legs of India goalkeeper Savita.  India fought until the very last second, but Great Britain’s defence – coupled with another excellent goalkeeping display from Maddie Hinch – held firm to seal the bronze medal.  “This is definitely up there”, said GB’s Laura Unsworth on winning her third Olympic medal. “This has probably been my most challenging cycle since I first started, so on a personal note this is probably the most special medal out of all three of them. It has been a tough five years and to come away with a bronze medal to top it all off is just what dreams are made of.” Talking about his message to his team after the defeat, India head coach Sjoerd Marijne said: “The first thing I said, like for me personal, first the emotion is about losing, yeah you want to win, but really first off that I feel proud. Pride. I’m proud of the girls, how they again showed their fight and skills. And normally when Indian woman team came 2-0 behind they always went 3-0, 4-0, and now they kept fighting. We came back in the match, we even were one up.  “And I said to the girls, ‘Listen, I can’t take away your tears. No words will help for that. We didn’t win the medal, but I think we achieved something bigger, and it’s inspiring a country and make the country proud.’ And I’ve shown many messages of people who were saying that, and I think the world have seen another Indian team, and I’m really proud of that.” More information about the match can be found by clicking here.   The women’s Hockey gold medal match begins at 19:00 and will see hot favourites the Netherlands taking on Argentina. The Dutch are now just one win away from being in possession of the World, European, FIH Hockey Pro League and Olympic titles. However, they are not expected to have everything their own way against Las Leonas. Fascinatingly, Argentina were the last team to beat the Netherlands, inflicting defeat on the Dutch during their FIH Hockey Pro League encounter in Buenos Aires in February 2020, with the Oranje claiming a 3-1 victory the following day.   The gold medal game will be umpired by Laurine Delforge (BEL) and Sarah Wilson (SCO), with Amber Church (NZL) and Kelly Hudson (NZL) the reserve umpire and video umpire respectively. The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 take place from Saturday 24 July to Friday 6 August 2021. Both the men’s and women’s competitions featured 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, visit https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/hockey/olympic-schedule-and-results.htm. Make sure that you use #Tokyo2020, #Hockey, #StrongerTogether, #HockeyInvites @Tokyo2020 and @olympics on social media when showing your support for your nation. Be sure to follow FIH for all the latest updates as teams and fans get ready for the biggest show on earth – the Olympic Games. Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – Hockey competitions 6 August 2021 – Day 14 (Morning) Result – Bronze medal match  Great Britain 4-3 India Upcoming fixtures All times Japan Standard Time (UTC/GMT+9) 6 August 2021 19:00 – Gold – Netherlands v Argentina Final Standings – Men Gold – Belgium Silver – Australia Bronze – India 4 – Germany 5 – Great Britain 6 – Netherlands 7 – Argentina 8 – Spain 9 – New Zealand 10 – South Africa 11 – Japan 12 – Canada Final Standings – Women Gold – Silver – Bronze – Great Britain 4 – India 5 – Australia 6 – Germany 7 – Spain 8 – New Zealand 9 – China 10 – Ireland 11 – Japan 12 – South Africa #Tokyo2020 #StrongerTogether  #HockeyInvites