News for 09 May 2020
All the news for Saturday 9 May 2020
47th FIH Congress postponed to May 2021
Lausanne, Switzerland: Meeting today via online conference, the Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has decided to postpone the 47th FIH Congress, initially planned on 28 October-1 November 2020 in New Delhi, to May 2021, in India’s capital city. The exact date will be confirmed as soon as possible.
FIH had pre-informed all 137 National Associations in April about a potential change of dates for the Congress.
This decision, made due to the current uncertainties following the global COVID-19 pandemic, is based on Art. 12.1 of the FIH Statutes, covering cases of force majeure.
Consequently, the current terms of the FIH President and of the EB members which were due to end in October 2020 have been prolonged until the upcoming Congress in May 2021 and the subsequent terms for these positions will be shortened accordingly (mid-2021 to 2024) on an exceptional basis. The following terms are coming to an end at the 47th FIH Congress:
- President: Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra (IND)
- Women EB members: Danae Andrada (URU), Hazel Kennedy (ZAM)
- Men EB members: Erik Cornelissen (NED), Tayyab Ikram (MAC)
FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra stated: “Despite the current challenging times for most organisations, FIH has kept working hard to pursue its mission of developing hockey worldwide. I’m looking forward to the numerous tournaments and competitions ahead of us, which we are preparing with full dedication and passion with all National Associations involved. I’m also very pleased with the success of the online courses which FIH is delivering; this is great for the future of our sport. It is encouraging as well to see that hockey has resumed in some countries, of course with protective measures for the participants’ welfare. Last but not least, I’d like to extend our gratitude to our broadcast and commercial partners for their continuous support.”
For more details on the current activities of FIH, please read the story here.
#FIHCongress
FIH site
FIH confirm Batra's term as President extended until May 2021 after Congress postponed
By Liam Morgan
Narinder Batra's term as FIH President has been extended ©Getty Images
Narinder Batra's term as President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has been extended until May 2021 after the governing body confirmed the postponement of its Congress because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Presidential election had been due to take place at this year's Congress in New Delhi but has now been pushed back by six months in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Batra's first four-year stint at the helm of the worldwide body was set to expire at the gathering of the FIH membership, initially scheduled for October 28 to November 1.
The FIH Executive Board said Batra's term, and those of four Executive Board members, would be prolonged until the elections next May.
In a statement, the FIH also confirmed the subsequent second term would be shortened from four years to three.
Should Batra - a member of the International Olympic Committee by virtue of his role as head of the Indian Olympic Association - be re-elected, his second stint would end in 2024.
The rule also applies to the four Executive Board members whose terms have been extended - Danae Andrada of Uruguay, Zambia's Hazel Kennedy, Erik Cornelissen of the Netherlands and Macau's Tayyab Ikram.
The decision from the Executive Board had been widely expected and the FIH said it had informed all 137 National Associations in April that the Congress was likely to be moved.
Batra had caused confusion earlier this week when he said his tenure had been extended until June 2021, before he was seemingly forced into a swift retraction and backtracking of his initial comments.
The 63-year-old Indian official has sparked controversy during his reign as FIH President and has been accused of not dedicating enough time to the worldwide governing body.
His critics in hockey believe he is prioritising his IOA Presidency over his FIH position.
Suggestions of financial difficulties for the FIH have also gathered pace in recent months and insidethegames revealed earlier this week that it had gone into "complete savings mode" to battle the financial impact of COVID-19.
Batra also helped oversee the launch of the FIH Hockey Pro League, a fledgling home-and-away competition which has effectively replaced the Champions Trophy and Hockey World League tournaments.
"Despite the current challenging times for most organisations, FIH has kept working hard to pursue its mission of developing hockey worldwide," Batra said.
"I’m looking forward to the numerous tournaments and competitions ahead of us, which we are preparing with full dedication and passion with all National Associations involved.
"I’m also very pleased with the success of the online courses which FIH is delivering - this is great for the future of our sport.
"It is encouraging as well to see that hockey has resumed in some countries, of course with protective measures for the participants’ welfare.
"Last but not least, I’d like to extend our gratitude to our broadcast and commercial partners for their continuous support."
Other Federations, including World Sailing, could also be forced to reschedule elections which had been planned for this year, while the International Olympic Committee announced yesterday it was considering holding its Session virtually.
Inside the Games
Narinder Batra gets extension as FIH president
Narinder Batra will remain the FIH president until the world body's Congress in May next year. - PTI
Indian sports administrator Narinder Batra’s term as FIH president was on Friday extended as the world body’s Congress has been postponed to May next year due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The Congress was scheduled to begin in New Delhi on October 28 this year. The decision to postpone the Congress was taken during an online meeting of the FIH Executive Board. “The exact date will be confirmed as soon as possible,” the FIH said in a statement.
The postponement means the tenures of all FIH current office-bearers, have been extended until next year’s Congress.
“Consequently, the current terms of the FIH President and of the EB members which were due to end in October 2020 have been prolonged until the upcoming Congress in May 2021 and the subsequent terms for these positions will be shortened accordingly (mid-2021 to 2024) on an exceptional basis,” the world body said.
FIH president Batra said, “Despite the current challenging times for most organisations, FIH has kept working hard to pursue its mission of developing hockey worldwide. I’m looking forward to the numerous tournaments and competitions ahead of us, which we are preparing with full dedication and passion with all National Associations involved.”
He added, “I am also very pleased with the success of the online courses which FIH is delivering; this is great for the future of our sport. It is encouraging as well to see that hockey has resumed in some countries, of course with protective measures for the participants’ welfare.”
The FIH had pre-informed all 137 National Associations in April about a potential change of dates for the Congress.
“This decision, made due to the current uncertainties following the global COVID-19 pandemic, is based on Art. 12.1 of the FIH Statutes, covering cases of force majeure,” the FIH stated.
Besides Batra, four other executive board members also got extensions.
Sportstar
Nilakanta: 'Manpreet motivates the team through his game'
File picture of Manpreet Singh. - Getty Images
Indian men’s hockey team midfielder Nilakanta Sharma has showed praise on captain Manpreet Singh, saying the 27-year-old motivates the team through his game and ensures that every player is contributing in some way or the other.
Nilakanta further said that he shares good bond and communication with Manpreet and Hardik Singh in the midfield region.
“The way Manpreet and I communicate on the field is terrific. Manpreet motivates all of us through the way he plays his game and ensures that every player is contributing to the team’s cause in some way or the other,” said the midfielder.
“I share a great bond with Hardik as well. We understand each other’s games which makes it easy for us to support each other. We have been communicating well for quite some time now and hopefully, we will be able to hit the right note as soon as we get back to practice and eventually on the field,” he added.
The 25-year-old also said that the entire team is carrying out several exercises in their rooms at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bengaluru, in order to stay focused during the ongoing lockdown period amid coronavirus pandemic.
“There’s no doubt that it’s been a difficult couple of months for all of us. We made it a point to keep training in whichever way we can once the lockdown began.
“With minimal equipment such as bands, we are doing several exercises in our rooms throughout the day. Fitness will play a key role in how we react to certain situations once we are in the midst of a match in the future.
“We are carrying out push-ups, crunches, sit-ups and going for individual runs on a regular basis. Our Scientific Advisor Robin Arkell has devised some amazing fitness schedules which have helped us maintain our fitness standards,” said the midfielder.
Nilakanta, who has been part of the Indian squad for major tournaments such as the World Cup 2018 and Olympic Qualifiers 2019, believes that his experience of playing in big tournaments will be a huge bonus at the Tokyo Olympics next year.
“I have been in the international circuit for around three years and have been very fortunate to be a part of big competitions such as the World Cup 2018 and Olympic Qualifiers 2019,” said the 25—year—old from Manipur.
“It’s great to have so much experience under my belt, which will be a big bonus for a tournament like the Olympics next year. I have learned to stay calm and composed in pressure situations and have a great understanding of my role in the side.”
Sportstar
Sweating it out is a piece of cake for hockey star
KUALA LUMPUR: National woman’s hockey player Wan Norfaiezah Mohd Saiuti should have been playing hockey in the German league now. But she turned down the offer for a third stint with Zehlendorfer Wespento to concentrate on her studies.
But she is still sweating it out – in her kitchen.
Norfaiezah has turned baker, selling “cheesekut” – a cream cheese layered cake – online.
The 25-year-old Pahang-born midfielder has been selling her cakes since the start of the fasting month on April 24.
“Every day, I bake the cakes in the afternoon in my rented house in Bukit Jalil. In the evenings, I go out to deliver them by car for buka puasa, ” said Norfaiezah.
Asked where she learnt to bake her speciality, she said she learnt it on YouTube.
“I find it easy to bake and I sell them at RM5 per packet.
“I have sold 100 packets in the last two weeks.”
It’s welcome income for the Universiti Putra Malaysia student.
As the national women’s team have not started training this year – even the coach has not been appointed – the players do not receive any monthly allowance.
“With no income, I decided to do a part-time job and I started selling cheesekut. I am happy that my business is doing well, ” said Norfaiezah.
In fact, it’s doing so well that she is not planning on going home for Raya, even if the movement control order is lifted.
“I am not sure if I will return to my home in Kuantan as I have orders to deliver, ” she said.
Norfaiezah, who has represented Malaysia 70 times, has continued with her workouts twice a day during the fasting month.
“I exercise in the morning at about 4.30am for 40 minutes and again at night after breaking fast.
“I am also not sure whether there will be any tournament this year with the cancellation of the Asian Champions Trophy in Donghae City in South Korea in July, ” said Norfaiezah, who helped Malaysia win the indoor hockey gold at the Philippines SEA Games in December.
She played for debutants Hockey Academy (Hockademy) of Kuala Lumpur in the National Women’s League in January and guided them to the league title and second place in the overall Cup.
The Star of Malaysia
Wolfpack: Living as Underdogs
By Tom Barratt, U.S. Men’s National Team Athlete
Being a part of a team that is consistently going into games and tournaments as a side that’s not meant to come out with a positive outcome, has more positives than the majority may feel. Within the Wolfpack, we do our best to shut off the outside noise and have therefore given ourselves an attitude that allows us to play without fear.
I’ve been a part of this team for over six years. Not one of those years have we ever gone into a big tournament where anything was truly expected of us. The belief within the camp has never been stronger than it is right now, however, this wasn’t always the case. I remember sitting inside a changing room having lost a Pan American Games quarterfinal match against Brazil, feeling lower than the game has ever allowed me to feel. The end result of the tournament was that we finished fifth and the field hockey world saw that as a fair result for us. It did not feel that way to me, the team or coaching staff. At this point, the belief wasn’t within the squad as it is now. We were going into tournaments and games believing we were the underdog but also allowing ourselves to know there was a reason for that.
What was to come in the resulting years, following that poor result, was a big rebuild. A lot of questions were asked of everything within the program. It started with professionalism and attitude. How could we go into any game not believing we could match up with our opposition? It’s one thing to be an underdog, it’s a complete other to recognize you need a miracle to pull off a result. This is where our process had to change. The drawing board was visited a few times before things started to click. It’s a long process to go through a recovery to get things right, perhaps a harder one to implement. Whilst we looked at our mental approach, we also knew that in order to qualify as even underdogs we needed to be working harder. You can’t work less against perceivably better opposition and come out with a positive result. It’s like going into a test having not studied, rarely is the desired result achieved. So, this was the new minimum in the first couple of years post 2015. We work harder on our fitness and playing careers to make them match up with the best in the world.
At the end of those two years and the new standards, we earned our first medal as this group that still stands together today. Bronze on home turf at the 2017 Pan American Cup, it felt a lot better than fifth in Canada a couple of years back. A semifinal lost to Canada in a shootout where Canada gave us a lot of plaudits after the game. This posted a new question of the underdogs; is this possible? Yes. We went toe-to-toe with a team who has qualified for the past two Olympic Games and World Cups. Having said that, we came up short, again. Only one thing to do, work even harder. A harsher attitude was adopted and even stricter training and lifestyle changes.
The majority of the team, after the Pan American Cup, went over and played seasons abroad to gain a better knowledge of the sport. When finding themselves there, they were instantly met with the stigma that male American athletes can’t play field hockey. Yet it added more wood for the fir of the underdogs and an even nicer attitude for us to drive motivation. You can’t change people’s minds by talking to them, you have to do it on the pitch. This is what we did, we started changing attitudes, much to the annoyance of the countries we played against. After beating France in Paris, the French press said that we were a disgrace and didn’t deserve it. After drawing series with both Scotland and Ireland in their respective home countries, we were told that these games were flukes and we came out lucky. All this luck lining up though, has to mean something?
The squad didn’t care about what was written or said, because now we had momentum. Momentum and an underdog attitude can be quite a force. As we pushed on into 2019, which was a big year in tournaments for us, we managed to surprise everyone. We came fourth in India after losing a semifinal match in the last twelve seconds to a team we beat in pool play, fair play. We claimed bronze at the Pan American Games in Peru, losing two games to sides who were certainly better than us on the day, fair play.
The recent results still aren’t changing the field hockey worlds minds’, and neither are they changing ours. Since 2015 this squad has achieved more than any other U.S. Men’s National Team has ever done. So we’d like to ask the rest of the field hockey world to keep doubting us because we have the momentum and adopted an attitude that allows us to go into every game knowing we have nothing to lose, which is the perfect mental state. Keep calling us the underdogs, it’s fuel to the fire.
USFHA media release
Field Hockey: Another year of dominance
By Conner Gilson
UConn field hockey wrapped up their seventh straight Big East title this season on the backs of Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year’s Svea Boker and Cheyenne Sprecher. Photo by Sofia Sawchuk/The Daily Campus
UConn field hockey wrapped up their seventh straight Big East title this season on the backs of Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year’s Svea Boker and Cheyenne Sprecher. Photo by Sofia Sawchuk/The Daily Campus
Another year, another dominant campaign for the Huskies. Although they came up short in the NCAA tournament, a 19-4 record and a seventh straight Big East title are nothing to frown upon. It feels like UConn is competing for the championship year in and year out, and in a 2019 season where they had the Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year all in one place, it was no different.
The Huskies got off to a hot start to the season, winning four straight games against ranked opponents, but faltered a bit, allowing a season-high three goals in a loss against then No. 11 Michigan. From there UConn won six straight, allowing just three goals while scoring 24 before falling once again to No. 4 Maryland in one of just two shutouts they would experience. Fueled by the loss, the Huskies would win six of their last seven and cruise to the Big East title before losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament to No. 9 Princeton. Despite not reaching their final goal, it was another impressive season for the Huskies, featuring a complete effort from just about every member of the team, especially on the attacking end.
The Swiss army knife that was UConn’s offense was led by one familiar face in Svea Boker and a new face in Sophie Hamilton. For Boker, 2019 was another step toward an illustrious four years playing for the Huskies. Not only did her 21 goals and 55 points led the Huskies, but they also placed her at No. 4 in the NCAA and moved her to No. 5 all-time among UConn players in each stat, respectively. As if that wasn’t enough, she also added 13 assists en route to being named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Mideast Region Player of the Year and headlining the All-Big East and All-American first teams. Boker was simply on another level.
Whereas we’ve gotten used to Boker’s impressive numbers, Hamilton’s year was more than anyone could have hoped for. The first-year midfielder finished second on the team in goals (9), assists (14) and points (32), earning a spot on the All-American third team and being one of two freshmen to be named to the All-Big East first team. She left her mark on the season in round one of the NCAA tournament, where she scored the game-winner in overtime to beat No. 25 Fairfield University. Hamilton’s freshman numbers look eerily similar to those of Boker in her first year, and she appears to be next in line to lead the charge for this UConn team.
Overall, the Huskies won eleven games against ranked opponents in 2019, ending the year ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in goals (73) and No. 1 in assists (71), led by senior Antonia Tiedtke’s team-high 16. But for as good as their offense was this season, it was their defense that carried them to several of their wins.
Coming off a solid freshman season where she allowed 29 goals and put up a .750 save percentage, Cheyenne Sprecher made major strides in her game just a year later. With the experience under her belt Sprecher boosted her save percentage up to .842, the best in the country, and allowed just 18 goals all season. Her incredible play was enough to lead UConn to a nation-best 13 shutouts and earned her the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
While every other UConn team (sorry football) will be experiencing new life in the Big East, nothing is going to change for field hockey. The sun will rise, it will rain every Tuesday in Storrs, UConn will be a top-10 team and everything will be right with the world.
Daily Campus
Davis vs Frank sibling rivalry will return, vows younger Wanangwe
By AGNES MAKHANDIA
BROTHER ON BROTHER: Frank Wanangwe (left) of Butali Sugar Warriors vies for the ball with his younger sibling Davis Wanangwe of Nairobi Sikh Union during a Premier League match at City Park Stadium, in Nairobi on January 24, 2016. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Forward Davis Wanangwe will miss the sibling rivalry he had with his brother Frank in the men's Premier League after his side Sikh Union were relegated to the Super League last season.
Davis, 29, has competed against his elder brother Frank, 33, in top flight hockey since 2012.
That year Davis joined Sikh from Strathmore University and has remained faithful to the Nairobi-based side.
“There is that feeling and excitement that comes with playing against your brother. And the hype that was created by the media was also something special. I have played against Frank since 2012 and those are memories to cherish" said, David, a civil engineer.
“But I'm optimistic we will not be in the second tier for long. We will put our house in order and make a comeback to the Premier League next season. That's where we belong bearing in mind the longevity of this team.”
Sikh and Parklands Sports Club were demoted to the Super League while Mombasa Sports Club and Parkroad Badgers earned promotion to the Premier League.
Davis, who has endured a nagging knee injury since 2014 that has seen him miss out on international assignments including year’s Olympic qualifiers in South Africa, remained hopeful of making a come back.
He suffered cartilage injury on his left knee.
“I went under the knife in 2018, took a break before I returned last year. I played for the better part of the season before I again took a break last October after the doctors advised me to do so to rest my knee that had developed some pain. I am well rested now and I hope to be back when the league resumes,” said the Friends School Kamusinga alumnus.
Kenyan finished fifth in the six-team round-robin African qualifiers for the 2020 Olympic Games in Stellenbosch, South Africa, last year.
“I still have a lot to offer. But I will leave that to the technical bench if they will want my services. At the same time I'm ready to assist train strikers in the national team. That's the least I can do because I know we have good players who only need fine tune and they will be good to go," said Davis.
All the other leagues (women’s premier, super leagues (men and women), as well as the national (men and women) leagues had kicked off in February, but the men’s premier league matches had not started when coronavirus struck.
Daily Nation
All India Hockey Club - First British Club to tour Europe
by Dil Bahra
Jaipal Singh, the touring team captain.
The All India Hockey Club’s three week’s Continental tour from 17 December 1925 to 5 January 1926 is believed to be the first British Club to tour Europe.
The Club’s players were Indian student residents at various British Universities, with the main portion coming from Cambridge and London. The team had players from Manchester, Edinburgh and Oxford as well.
The All India Club squad of fifteen left London on December 17th 1925 from Victoria Station, London and travelled to Brussels. They played two matches in Brussels and one in Antwerp.
The touring party left Paris on December 21st 1925 and arrived in Barcelona on the 22nd. They played matches in Barcelona (El Real Polo Hockey Club de Barcelona), Valencia (El Valencia Hockey Club de Valencia), Bilbao and Madrid (El Athletic Hockey Club de Madrid), the last match being played in the Spanish capital on January 4th 1926.
The party returned on the 5th, arriving back in London on January 6th 1926. They were away from England for about three weeks.
Jaipal Singh, who was studying at Oxford University in 1924 – 1926 was the main organiser of this trip and was Secretary of the Club. He was regarded as one of the best full backs in the country at the time.
“Great interest was taken in our Spanish visit in December. Everywhere we had enormous crowds to welcome us. We won all our games in Spain. At present there are only about a dozen clubs in Spain” wrote Jaipal in Hockey World magazine on February 19, 1926. He went on to say “The Spaniards are inclined to dispute with the referee too much, all in earnest as well as good blood. There is too much keenness to win. Amidst all this, there is one thing where Spain excels. Never have I seen better goal-keepers anywhere. Every Club we played had a most excellent goal-keeper. I may say, without any qualification, that every one of them, i.e., the goal-keepers, would get his English Cap were he here!”
Whilst still at Oxford, Jaipal was selected to captain India at the Amsterdam 1926 Olympic Games. Joining him from England for the Indian Olympic team were Nawab of Pataudi (Oxford) and S M Yusuf (Cambridge).
Nawab of Pataudi, however, played only five matches in England with the Indian team but did not travel to Amsterdam for the Olympics. He was an Oxford blue for both hockey and cricket. In 1931 he played for Oxford in the annual hockey match against Cambridge in February and in July he made his highest score in the University cricket match with 238 not out.
It is interesting to note that the All India Club toured Europe before any teams from India toured overseas. The Indian Army team toured New Zealand in 1926, which was the first overseas trip by an Indian team. This initiated the beginning of international hockey for India and the start of dominance in Olympic hockey from 1928.
The touring party was Jaipal Singh (Ranchi) Capt,; J A Fernandes (Bombay); J S C Daver (Bombay); M A Beg (N.W.F.); V Mahmood (Alligarh); R Afzal (Calcutta); C W Little (Madras); A A Baig (Lahore); S M Yusuf (Punjab); N U Ahnad (Delhi); F A Ahmad (Rawalpindi); J A Admad (Rawalpindi); S M Sharif (Agra); P M Reddy (Hyderabad) and A Ahmad (Aligarh).
Sikhs in Hockey
Performance teamwork continues with sports science intern appointments
Scottish Hockey Head of Performance Andy Tennant has announced today the appointment of two new sports science interns to support new Sports Science Lead Ailsa Maguire.
Over the next eight months they will assist and learn while working with the men’s and women’s high performance programmes, alongside Scottish Hockey’s recently appointed Sports Science Lead Ailsa Maguire. Ailsa was appointed in March on a part time basis to replace Emma Traynor who moved on to a full time post in women’s football with Rangers. Ailsa, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, is currently studying for a masters and has previous experience working with the senior men’s programme as an intern during their successful European campaign in 2017.
Our two new interns are Katrine Tuft and Mitchell Rao. 
Katrine, who is currently studying at the University of Edinburgh, has experience working in hockey with Edinburgh University men’s team. Katrine is from Oslo originally and is a competitive power lifter.
Our second intern is Mitchell Rao is currently in fourth year at the University of Glasgow studying sports science. Mitchell has some practical sports science experience previously in both cricket and women’s football. He is from Ayrshire originally and has represented Scotland as an international cricketer.
Scottish Hockey’s Head of Performance Andy Tennant said “We are delighted to have both Katrine and Mitchell on board as interns for the rest of 2020. I am sure both will benefit greatly from the experience.” He added “we take great pride in supporting the development of young sports science students – and I have to thank Nairn Scobie, who is both a hockey player and lecturer at the University of Glasgow – as he originally started the programme and continues to support our efforts. I am sure our latest interns will enjoy the experience and be a great support to Ailsa as she looks to build our sports science provision.”
All Scottish Hockey international activity is currently suspended, however the interns will be supporting the remote monitoring and maintenance of our high performance athletes training programmes during the Covid-19 pandemic, and will gain practical experience through supporting both high performance programmes, as we hopefully return to train and play later in the year.
Scottish Hockey Union media release