FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup Trophy launched in Cape Town

    The FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup, presented by SPAR, is just 25 days away. With the tournament nearing its historic arrival on African Soil the World Cup Trophies have arrived in the country. At the recent International Indoor series in Cape Town featuring both the South African sides the trophies were launched and paraded to the adoring fans. In front of adoring fans, the trophies were placed upon their respective pedestals by SA Hockey president Deon Morgan and Namibian Deputy Minister of Sport Ms. Emma Katema-Gaomas. The trophies will be under the keen supervision of Nkosi the Lion, the mascot of the 2023 FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup until the final on the 11 February 2023. The FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup, presented by SPAR, will feature 12 Men’s teams and 12 women’s teams competing with the objective of getting their hands on the trophy and raising it aloft in jubilation at the completion of the event. Robert Tigges, the coach of the Netherlands Men’s Indoor Hockey side and captain of the team that lifted the trophy in 2015, was excited for the arrival of the tournament: “The love for the game has been created over the years and I expect the crowds to be very good and noisy. South Africa know how to host a wonderful tournament and the African energy will be good at the tournament! The youngsters will have the opportunity to see their stars play and the future stars will be inspired at the tournament. Tickets are available for the tournament at https://itickets.co.za/events/470639 [FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup] The FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup Trophies are in South Africa. They were launched and shared with thousands of kids in Cape Town as the count down to the historic tournament gets closer. More details on https://t.co/8F8iMGK8p4 pic.twitter.com/lpN9qwcLBW — SA Hockey (@SA_Hockey) January 11, 2023

    FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023: what the captains and coaches have to say! 

      Bhubaneswar, India – With just 1 day to go for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, the players and coaches of all teams have spoken to express their expectations. David Ames, Captain (England) “India is always an exciting place to come and play hockey. We are looking forward to playing against big teams and registering some famous victories in the tournament. I think we are a contender for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela trophy. There is a lot of belief in our camp as everyone is confident about their abilities.” Thierry Brinkman, Captain (Netherlands)  “The last few months in the build-up to the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela have been pretty good for us. The team is completely ready for the tournament. It is amazing to be here again and we are excited to play in front of the hockey fans in the tournament.” Jorge Dabanch, Head Coach (Chile) “It will be interesting to play in Rourkela as they have built a new stadium here and the crowd is amazing as well. There are many top teams in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela and we will look to register a win against these top sides in the tournament.” Akira Takahashi, Head Coach (Japan) “We have played in India before and are excited to be here for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. Our team has some good players who can play well against the top sides in the tournament and it will be a pleasure to play in front of such a big crowd. The tournament is filled with top teams and we are ready to face them and produce exciting results.” Frederic Soyez, Head Coach (France) “We are not looking for the title at the moment. Our team is focused on the first match of the tournament right now and then we will see where we end up. We prepared for this tournament with an aim to do better than last year and I think we have the quality to perform well against the top teams.” Alvaro Iglesias, Captain (Spain)  “We know the stadium in Rourkela is bigger. We know there will be a lot more crowd there. It will be hard to listen to our teammates and the instructions from the referee as well. But it will be an incredibly exciting atmosphere and we are really looking forward to playing here,” Lee Namyong, Captain (Korea)  “Our players are excited to be here and we have big ambitions in the tournament. We want to do well and have confidence that we will be able to win the big matches in FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. Our team has a lot of experience and it will be crucial for us.” Rupert Shipperley, Captain (Wales)  “We are here to win, it’s as simple as that. We are not here to just make up the numbers, we are here to cause an upset. We are looking forward to playing India in front of their fans, it is going to be a special occasion. We have faced all the teams in our pool before and we know what to expect, we are just raring to go now.” Greg Nicol, Head Coach (New Zealand) “We came to Bhubaneswar not so long ago to play in the FIH Pro League and are excited to come to Odisha again for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. The crowd here is fantastic and our team really enjoys playing in this atmosphere, especially in the World Cup. It’s a major tournament for our sport and hopefully, we can play well and get some wins.” Marhan Jalil, Captain (Malaysia) “We are fully prepared for the World Cup and will look to do our best on the pitch. Our group is tough as we have teams like the Netherlands and New Zealand in it and it will be an uphill task to beat them. However, we have full belief in ourselves and the matches will be exciting for the players.” Andre Henning, Head Coach (Germany)  “We had a strong year as we won 13 FIH Pro League matches and were between 5th and 6th in the World Rankings. So, we are looking forward to playing in the tournament and if we reach the semis that would be a big success. However, our ultimate aim is to win the World Cup trophy.” Eddie Ockenden, Captain (Australia)   “Our players are really excited to be here and we have big ambitions in the tournament. We want to do well and have confidence that we will be able to win the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela title. Our team has a lot of experience and it will be really crucial for us.” Cheslyn Gie, Head Coach (South Africa) “We think the games against Australia and Argentina will definitely be the toughest for us in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. It is an exciting prospect for the players to have two venues, and if we get to play India it will be an experience as the whole stadium becomes very vibrant due to the fans.” Matias Rey, Captain (Argentina) “We take inspiration from Lionel Messi and our football team who won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They did a great job and we will try to repeat the same thing at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, it will be difficult but we are motivated and want to win the tournament and make the country proud.” Felix Denayer, Captain (Belgium) “I think the tournament will be a challenge, but we also have the experience so we feel confident and we are very hungry to retain the trophy. We are an ambitious group. And I think we need these kinds of challenges to perform at our best level,” Harmanpreet Singh, Captain (India) “There is anticipation and excitement in equal measure. As

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      Trophy Celebrations for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 to get underway today in Odisha

        11 January 2023 The festivities of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela will get underway today at 6pm (IST) as some of the biggest performers of India will headline the Trophy Celebrations at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha. The celebrations will see global and local celebrities light up the stadium with their musical and dance performances. Bollywood superstars Ranveer Singh and Disha Patani will perform in front of a packed stadium that will seat over 40,000 spectators. Not just those in the stadium will get to witness the spectacle, but fans all around the city will also be able to watch on Giant LED screens in the 16 Hockey Fan Parks for live streaming of the celebrations. The fans will also get to sway to the musical stylings of internationally acclaimed K-Pop band: Black Swan, which includes local Odisha singer Shreya Lenka! Popular Indian musician/composer Pritam, who composed the official anthem of the World Cup “Hockey Hai Dil Mera”, will also take stage along with the 11 singers who sang the anthem. The rich night of music will be further enhanced by the rock and roll music of iconic bollywood singers Benny Dayal and Neeti Mohan. Talented performers from the state of Odisha will also add in a local flavour, led by Odissi dancing legend: Guru Aruna Mohanty. The Trophy Celebrations will showcase India’s rich culture and history, while also highlighting its recent advancements. It will also signal the start of the 15th edition of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup, which will get underway on 13 January 2023, with the first two matches of the day being played in Bhubaneswar followed by two more matches in the evening, in the brand-new Birsa Munda International Hockey stadium in Rourkela. The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela Trophy Celebrations start at 18:00 local time (13:30 CET) and can be watched by hockey fans all around the world on Watch.Hockey. #HWC2023 #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.

        FIH contributes 300 trees to “Hockey Forest” project

          January 9, 2023 Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has decided to make a donation equivalent to the plantation of 300 trees for the “Hockey Forest” project. The project consists in building a “hockey forest” in South Africa as a measure to offset the carbon footprint that is created by the demands of the sport’s growing schedule. It was started in 2019 by the German women’s hockey team, the Danas, who partnered with the Grootbos Foundation in South Africa, set up a crowdfunding page and planted the first trees themselves in 2020 during a training camp in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Since then, they’ve kept collecting funds for different events such as a Christmas tree campaign and an offset for their travels during the last FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup. In total, they’ve planted more than 1,000 trees! When FIH launched its “Sustainability Strategy for Hockey” on 4 November 2022, it showcased the “Hockey Forest” as one of the case studies of recent and current initiatives of the hockey community to promote sustainability. “When it comes to sustainable development, we all have a role to play. Sport, in particular, has a great potential to act as a catalyst for positive change in society. I’d like to congratulate the Danas and the Grootbos Foundation for their great campaign to promote sustainability and raise awareness for the climate crisis. I’m really glad that FIH will support this wonderful initiative”, FIH President Tayyab Ikram said. FIH urges everyone to donate for the “Hockey Forest” using the following link: https://grootbosfoundation.org/donate. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites