21 Oct, 2024 As part of their first in-person global gathering since the 2018 Congress, the delegates of the 49th FIH Statutory Congress to be held in Oman (7-9 November) have been invited by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and its President Tayyab Ikram to reflect and debate about key matters to grow hockey. The “FIH Empowerment and Engagement Forum” – named as the eponymous strategy launched by FIH President Tayab Ikram last year at the Olympic House, in attendance of IOC President Thomas Bach – will take place on 8 November. Following the FIH President’s opening address, Continental Federations and National Associations delegates from all around the world, together with representatives from FIH, will begin the session with a focus on athletes and women. With FIH implementing an “athletes first” strategy and being a firm advocate of a gender equal sport, discussions will be conducted around the question of how athletes and women can be better supported. Then, through specific workshops, further crucial topics for the development of the game will be tackled such as development, participation, communication and promotion, facilities and funding, and technology solutions. The Congress participants will also hear a number of reports and presentations. From the French Hockey Association talking about the strategy and legacy benefits from hosting the Paris 2024 Olympics, to the Belgian and Dutch Hockey Associations informing the assembly about the 2026 FIH World Cup that they’re co-hosting, the Croatian Hockey Association hosting their first-ever FIH World Cup – namely, the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup – in February next year and finally FIH’s Global Supplier Polytan. Commenting on the upcoming Forum, FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “Following the success of the National Associations’ summits that we’ve organised in the last 2 years, I’m very much looking forward to this Forum. Initiating a more intensive interaction between all members of our global hockey community, fostering best practice sharing and knowledge transfer, urging the biggest National Associations to support the less-privileged ones are some of the key principles that shall guide our debates. I’m a firm believer in dialogue and exchange as key facilitators to grow together. This Forum has been conceived in that spirit.” The 49th FIH Congress will take place on 9 November 2024 in Muscat, Oman, and includes a full range of side events from 7 November, such as the Empowerment and Engagement Forum. It will also enable the global hockey community to celebrate in style the FIH Centennial. Source: FIH.hockey

18 Oct, 2024 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce that the winners of the FIH Hockey Stars Awards will be revealed at the FIH Centennial Gala taking place on 8 November in Muscat, Oman, on the occasion of the 49th FIH Statutory Congress. All winners – FIH Players, Goalkeepers, Rising Stars, Coaches and Umpires of the Year – have been invited to join the ceremony in person. The event will be live streamed on the FIH YouTube channel. The voting process for the FIH Players, Goalkeepers and Rising Stars closed last week. Here are the nominees: FIH Player of the Year Award: Women: Gu Bingfeng (CHN), Yibbi Jansen (NED), Nike Lorenz (GER), Stéphanie Vanden Borre (BEL), Xan de Waard (NED) Men: Thierry Brinkman (NED), Joep de Mol (NED), Hannes Müller (GER), Harmanpreet Singh (IND), Zach Wallace (ENG) FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Award: Women: Cristina Cosentino (ARG), Aisling D’Hooghe (BEL), Nathalie Kubalski (GER), Anne Veenendaal (NED), Ye Jiao (CHN) Men: Pirmin Blaak (NED), Luis Calzado (ESP), Jean-Paul Danneberg (GER), Tomás Santiago (ARG), PR Sreejesh (IND) FIH Rising Star of the Year Award: Women: Claire Colwill (AUS), Zoe Díaz (ARG), Tan Jinzhuang (CHN), Emily White (BEL), Linnea Weidemann (GER) Men: Bautista Capurro (ARG), Bruno Font (ESP), Sufyan Khan (PAK), Michel Struthoff (GER), Arno Van Dessel (BEL) The list of nominees was established by an Expert Panel* composed of players, coaches and officials selected by each of their Continental Federations. The expert panel was provided access to match data from all international matches held in 2024, including Test Matches, the FIH hockey Pro League, FIH Hockey Nations Cups, FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers and the Olympic Games Paris 2024 before establishing the final list of nominees. The votes of the Expert Panel count for 40% of the overall result. Those from National Associations – represented by their respective national teams’ captains and coaches – count for a further 20%. The fans and other players (20%) as well as the media (20%) make the remaining 40%.  The FIH Coaches and Umpires of the Year are decided by the Expert Panel and the FIH Umpiring Committee respectively. *Expert Panel: Europe: Janne Müller-Wieland (GER) and Simon Mason (ENG) Asia: Tahir Zaman (PAK) and Ms Deepika (IND) Pan America: Soledad Iparraguirre (ARG) and Craig Parnham (USA) Africa: Sarah Bennett (ZIM) and Ahmed Youssef (EGY) Oceania: Amber Church (NZL) and Adam Webster (AUS) Source: FIH.hockey

Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce that it has won the 2024 IOC Climate Action Award in the International Federation category, as revealed at a ceremony held in New York, USA, on the occasion of UN Climate Week. FIH has been awarded this highly prestigious distinction for its outstanding work in substantially reducing water consumption for the practice of hockey at elite level. Indeed, FIH is working with the artificial turf industry to develop a new technology – Dry Turf – that reduces the amount of water needed for elite hockey pitches. This new technology has already led to a 40 per cent reduction of water used between London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, and an anticipated further 20 per cent reduction for Paris 2024. The ultimate aim is to replace the approximately 2,000 water-based artificial hockey pitches globally with dry turfs, saving approximately 7.6 billion litres of water per year. FIH is also developing other innovative solutions including “self wetting balls” that release water at the point of contact between the ball, the surface and the stick, to enable the sport to be played at the highest level on dry turf. The project is part of the FIH’s wide-ranging sustainability strategy and a comprehensive carbon reduction and mitigation plan, which includes the first-ever carbon zero artificial turf, which was inaugurated at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and the global offsetting “Give Back to Forest” tree planting initiative. FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “We are extremely honoured and grateful to receive this very high distinction from the International Olympic Committee. It is also a strong encouragement for us since it expresses the gratitude of the highest body in world sport and the Olympic movement for the efforts that we have undertaken to reduce the impact on the environment generated by the practice of our sport. On behalf of FIH, and in my personal name, I would like to express our utmost gratitude to the IOC. I would also like to extend our sincerest thanks to all the providers and suppliers that are part of our FIH Quality Programme, and in particular our Global Supplier Polytan, for their commitment. Without them, it would not be possible to achieve the sustainability goals that we have set ourselves. I urge the entire global hockey community to continue its efforts relentlessly, and also engage in our ‘Give back to Forest’ initiative that we will pursue with the launch of Phase 2. Sport has a major role to play in building a better future for society and this includes protecting the environment. We are determined to be an important stakeholder in this area.” Supported by Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Deloitte, the IOC Climate Action Awards encourage, recognise and reward innovative projects from National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs) and athletes aimed at reducing the environmental impact of sport, while inspiring the wider Olympic Movement to take action. In the athlete category, Canadian hockey player Oliver Scholfield had been selected for co-founding “Racing to Zero”, a sport-focused sustainability consultancy that helps organisations to understand and mitigate their environmental impact. Note: A video message from FIH President Tayyab Ikram commenting on the Award is available here.   #HockeyForSociety #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.