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News for 08 August 2020

All the news for Saturday 8 August 2020


Safe return of FIH Hockey Pro League amongst the items discussed by FIH Executive Board



Lausanne, Switzerland: The Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) held a meeting on Friday 7 August 2021, via online video conference due to the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 global health pandemic. 

As well as discussing and evaluating the current uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, which will continue to be closely monitored, the EB was presented with reports from all departments of the Federation.

With health and safety being of the utmost importance, the EB was informed about the safeguards being developed between the FIH and the National Associations ahead of the re-start of the FIH Hockey Pro League, with the men and women of Germany and Belgium taking to the field behind closed doors on 22 & 23 September. The precautions that will be implemented are based on the government guidelines of both nations, designed to ensure that players, umpires, team staff, broadcasters and everyone involved in the planning and delivery of the matches can do so as safely as possible. A total of 18 matches are set to be played in September and October, with the remaining 76 scheduled between January and June 2021.

In terms of development, the EB was informed about the success of the various online courses that have been held by the FIH Hockey Academy in recent months. The switch from a face-to-face to online video conferences has been extremely well received, with high attendance rates and very positive feedback from participants. Over 1,500 people from 72 nations have participated in the 93 courses that took place in the first six months of 2020. 

The Regulations for the delayed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 have also been approved and will be available on the FIH and IOC website in the coming days. Aside from the competition dates, all information from this year's Regulations, including the match schedule and the qualified teams, remains unchanged.

The EB was also informed that, in line with the new Code from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the updated FIH Anti-Doping Rules have been approved and will be in use from January 2021.

Following a recent review, the Hockey5s Rules have been updated and will soon be available or download on the FIH website.  

In other news, the EB formally ratified the decision to move the new dates for the next FIH Congress which, as previously announced, will take place from 18-23 May 2021. The EB also approved the selection of the Deputy President of the FIH Judicial Commission, with nomination of Janice Shardlow (ENG) being unanimously approved.

The EB held a moment’s silence in memory of all members of the Hockey Family who have passed away in recent months, including but not limited to Olympic gold medallists Balbir Singh (IND) and Muhammad Asad Malik (PAK).

FIH site



2016 Olympic gold medallist Pedro Ibarra still proud of moment Argentina conquered the world



In the final of our feature stories marking the original event dates of Tokyo 2020 – today (7 August) would have been the concluding day of the Olympic Hockey competition – we speak to Argentina captain Pedro Ibarra about his team’s incredible gold medal at Rio 2016.

As well as reflecting on his team’s remarkable achievement four years ago in Brazil, Ibarra – who has made 303 appearances for Los Leones since making his senior international debut way back in 2006 – also discusses his love of the Olympic Opening Ceremony, his admiration for Argentina basketball legend Manu Ginóbili as well as giving his thoughts on a potential title defence at next year’s Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan.

Hi Pedro, thanks for talking to us! It has been four years since Los Leones shocked the world by winning the Olympic title. As the team captain, to win the event must have been a simply incredible, especially in South America. How do you feel about it now, looking back on that wonderful time?

Pedro Ibarra: “The way I feel today, looking back to that time in Rio 2016, is proud. I’m proud to have been part of that amazing team that won the Olympic Games.”

What were your favourite moments in Rio, and which result on the way to the gold medal made you think “we really can win this”?

Pedro Ibarra: “I don’t have a favourite moment in Rio, because all of the days were special for me, and I have a lot of memories of that [time]. The moment that I felt that we could win the medal was when we won against Spain in the quarter-finals. That was the first time we had reached an Olympic semi-final.”

We recently spoke with your long-time team-mate Lucas Vila, who talked about the eight players that won the 2005 Junior World Cup who went on to Olympic gold at Rio 2016, one of which was you. Can you tell us what that journey means to you, to do it with so many friends over so many years?

Pedro Ibarra: “As you say, there were eight players who won in Rio that also won the [Junior] World Cup in Rotterdam 2005. It is nice that when you look back you can see that we travelled all our international career together, and we shared a lot of moments. Nice moments, but others not so good. But the main things is that we did it together, and that is nice.”

Not including your own incredible gold medal success, what is your favourite Olympic moment?

Pedro Ibarra: “I think that the best moment in the Olympics, apart from hockey, is the Opening Ceremony. It is a great moment that you can share with all Argentinean people, and I really enjoy it.”

Who is your favourite Olympian and why?

Pedro Ibarra: “My favourite Olympian is [Argentina Basketball star and Olympic gold medallist] Manu Ginóbili. He’s a legend for all Argentinean people [competing] in every sport.”

Finally, you and your Argentina team-mates will be aiming to defend your Olympic title this time next year at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games. What are your thoughts about this challenge, and what would it mean to you, as team captain, if you managed to do it?

Pedro Ibarra: “We know that we are the last champions, but this tournament is something different. It [is now] four years later, and every team has changed players, changed coaches, changed tactics, changed everything. So, we have to be quiet and go step-by-step, as we did in Rio.”

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Olympic hockey through the ages

A look back at over 100 years of hockey at the Olympic Games

Rio 2016: Tournament top scorer Gonzalo Peillat rattled home 11 penalty corner goals to give Argentina a stunning gold medal on South American soil, with Los Leones beating Belgium 4-2 in the final. The women’s gold medal was another shock, with Great Britain – who had finished fifth out of six at the Champions Trophy on home soil less than two months earlier – defeating the Netherlands in a dramatic shoot-out. GB Goalkeeper Maddie Hinch was brilliant in the one-on-ones, with Hollie Pearne-Webb scoring the decisive goal to seal gold.

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On this day – 7 August 1992:  It was women’s final day at Barcelona 1992, with underdogs Spain shocking the world with a 2-1 victory over Germany on home soil in front of a mammoth crowd at the Estadi Olímpic de Terrassa. The men’s final took place a day later, with a double strike from Michael Hilgers proving enough for Germany to take the gold medal with a 2-1 win over Australia. It was their first title since the country’s reunification in 1990, adding to the title they won as West Germany on home soil in Munich in 1972.

To find out more about purchasing tickets for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, please click here.

FIH site



Indian hockey team needs to start afresh in run-up to Olympics: VR Raghunath

Veteran star feels past performances mean nothing as good form during the Asian Champions Trophy in November and the FIH Pro League next year will matter.

By Subhayan Dutta


Indian hockey men's team are looking at a relentless few months leading up to the Tokyo Olympics next year.

Veteran Indian hockey player and drag-flicker Vokkaliga Ramachandra Raghunath believes that a stern psychological test awaits the Indian hockey players as they return after a long break.

The Asian Champions Trophy scheduled in November this year will be followed by tours to Malaysia and New Zealand before the Indian hockey team leaves for a string of FIH Pro League fixtures on the road.

Good results away from home against strong teams like Argentina, Spain, Great Britain and Germany will be the real test and VR Raghunath believes that the Indian players will need a lot of mental strength to keep them going.

“The Indian team's fitness is top class and they will continue to build on this plus point in the next one year,” VR Raghunath told Hockey India, “But, having the right mindset in their approach and staying mentally positive will be very important.

"How the players cope mentally in this new scenario, how they approach every day mentally and once they start training and playing matches, how they will cope with the pressure and the results will matter a lot.

“Usually in the lead up to the Olympics, the last six-eight months pass by really fast and the team must be absolutely prepared physically and mentally," pointed out the former defender who won the 2014 Asian Games and the 2016 FIH Champions Trophy silver with India.

Pressing reset button

After successfully booking their place in the Tokyo Olympics last year, Graham Reid’s India carried their form good into the FIH Pro League with home wins against the fancied Netherlands, Belgium and Australia.

However, their impressive form was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic that saw the players confined to the SAI Centre Bengaluru for over two months.

VR Raghunath now believes that the team will need to start their Tokyo 2020 preparations from scratch as they reassemble at the camp in Bengaluru.

"It is time to start afresh,” the former Indian defender said. “I think the team must take this period as a one-year countdown and forget everything that's happened in the last six-eight months.”

Olympic Channel



Manpreet, Varun, Surender, Krishan Pathak & Jaskaran test +ve for CORONA; They are safe

Indian captain Manpreet Singh, defenders Surender Kumar and Varun Kumar, forward Jaskaran Singh and goalkeeper Krishan Pathak were tested positive for Corona virus on their arrival. The tests were conducted by the State authorities as per their guidelines. The findings were duly conveyed to Sports Authority of India, Bangaluru, where they reached as a part of National Camp. The national camp, which  was discontinued midway through June, was scheduled to start next week after all the players follow applicable SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for Quarantine.

s2h wishes all the players a speedy recovery

PORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA PRESS RELEASE

Hockey players Manpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Jaskaran Singh and Varun Kumar, who reported to the National Hockey Camp in Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Bengaluru along with the team, after a home break, have tested Covid positive. This was revealed since as a proactive step, SAI made it mandatory for all athletes, who reported back to the camp to take a rapid Covid 19 test upon arrival. Since all the athletes who tested positive had travelled together, there is a high likelihood that they contracted the virus while travelling from their hometowns to Bengaluru.

All four tested negative in the rapid test.

However, since Manpreet and Surender began to display some Covid symptoms later, they along with other ten athletes who had travelled together were given the Quantitative RT-PCR test on Thursday, and the four have been found to be Covid positive. Though the test results have still not been handed over to SAI, but the state government has informed the test results to the SAI authorities., and few test results are still awaited.

All athletes, including Manpreet, who reported to camp were undergoing quarantine as per the Health Ministry Guidelines and as a precautionary measure were kept in isolation to arrest the possibility of transmission of the virus. The quarantined athletes did not interact with other athletes who were already present at the camp.

The SOP of the state government and of SAI is being followed strictly across the campus.

Speaking from Bengaluru, Manpreet said, “I am self quarantined on the SAI campus and I am very happy with the way SAI authorities have handled the situation. I am very happy that they made the testing of athletes mandatory. That proactive step helped in identifying the problem right in time. I am doing fine and hope to recover very soon.”

Stick2Hockey.com



India hockey captain Manpreet Singh and four others test positive for COVID-19

Uthra Ganesan


India hockey captain Manpreet Singh in action.   -  K. Murali Kumar

Hockey players including captain Manpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Jaskaran Singh, Varun Kumar and goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak, who reported to the National Hockey Camp in Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Bengaluru along with the team, after a home break, have tested positive for COVID-19.

This was revealed as SAI had made it mandatory for all athletes  to take a rapid COVID-19 test upon arrival. There is a chance that the athletes contracted the virus while travelling from their hometown to Bengaluru.

Initially, all had tested negative in the rapid test.

Since Manpreet and Surender developed COVID symptoms later, they along with other ten athletes who had travelled together were given the Quantitative RT-PCR test on Thursday, and the results were positive.

SAI is yet to obtain the results but they have been informed by the state government. Seven test results are still awaited.

All the athletes, including Manpreet, who reported to camp were undergoing quarantine as per the Health Ministry Guidelines and as a precautionary measure were kept in isolation to arrest the possibility of transmission of the virus. The quarantined athletes did not interact with other athletes who were already present at the camp.

The Standard Operating Procedure of the state government and of SAI is being strictly  followed across the campus. Speaking from Bengaluru, India captain Manpreet said, "I am self-quarantining at the SAI campus and I am very happy with the way the SAI authorities have handled the situation. I am very happy that they made the testing of athletes mandatory. That proactive step helped in identifying the problem right in time. I am doing fine and hope to recover very soon.”  

Sportstar



Important for young hockey players to learn right techniques early, says former India captain Bharat Chetri

Bharat Chetri also said he couldn't achieve much in his career and wants to help young players achieve their dreams.


File image of former India hockey captain Bharat Chetri. AFP

Bengaluru: Former India captain Bharat Chetri believes learning the right technique at an early age is the key to success and urged the youngsters to work on their basics in their growing up years.

"As a former player, you understand how important it is to have the right technique to be able to be successful in this sport," said the former goalkeeper, who won a silver and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games respectively in 2010.

"I was a goalkeeper and it was really important for us to have learned the basics to excel.

"However, for us, all the right things came at a later stage as we grew more experienced and played around the world, but the advantage for the younger generation here in the country is that they have the facilities and the level of caching available to them now."

Hockey has evolved around the world and Chetri said he is "really happy that people associated with the sport in India are also learning the trade really well".

"There are a lot of factors involved in it, such as more exposure to young players and in-depth knowledge provided to them on all the basics of the sport," he said.
Important for young hockey players to learn right techniques early says former India captain Bharat Chetri

"It is really important that youngsters in the country are learning the right techniques early in their respective careers, because that sets them apart."

The former goalkeeper said he couldn't achieve much in his career and wants to help young players achieve their dreams.

"Whenever I look back, I honestly feel I was not able to have a very successful career in terms of results for what I would have wanted to have achieved," said Chetri, who had led India at the 2012 London Olympics.

"So after I had decided to quit the sport, I saw coaching as an opportunity to fulfil my dreams through young players who can achieve so much more for the country," added the former goalkeeper, who is a FIH Academy - Hockey India Coaching Education Pathway Level '1' Certified Coach.

Chetri said a good coaching structure is important for the development of the game and hailed Hockey India's coaching initiatives.

"I feel having a systematic coaching structure is a massive aspect when it comes to development of players and the sport in the country," said Chetri, who had served as assistant coach of the Indian men's and women's hockey teams in recent years.

"The improvement that we have seen in the last decade where both our teams have risen in the FIH World Rankings is down to Hockey India's efforts of improving both the domestic structure, as well as providing upcoming coaches with the right insights through the Hockey India Coaching Education Pathway."

Firstpost



Naval Tata Hockey Academy Odisha expands its youth program


The Tata Naval Hockey Academy Odisha has added the boys' program to its youth program.   -  special arrangement

After a good start with the inaugural girls program of 30 trainee cadets capacity, Naval Tata Hockey Academy Odisha (NTHAO), the State’s Hockey High Performance Centre (HPC) in Bhubaneswar, is all set to induct 30 Boys in the coming months.

Odisha Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera felt that the new inclusion will help the program to bridge the gap between grassroots and an elite HPC to provide more opportunities to young and promising hockey players from the across the country.

“The HPC has ambitious program to take hockey skills from its existing 10 grassroots centres and 3 Regional Development Centres (Bhubaneswar, Panposh and Sundergarh) to elite level over the next 3-5 years. The boys program will have 30 resident cadets from U17 level," he said.

“We are seeing positive results in the girls and are confident that the HPC will be able to provide similar highly focused and professional training to the boys too. They all are young, skilful and have a natural flair for Hockey. We will evaluate the players individually at the HPC, and match their skills with appropriate training at the world-class facilities here in Bhubaneswar. Training early at a synthetic turf vis-a-vis on grass pitch grounds will benefit these players immensely.”

“The new initiative of Department of Sports and Youth Services, Govt. of Odisha, to set up a number of synthetic turfs in identified locations of Sundergarh will keep Odisha ahead of its hockey journey and nurturing of hockey talent from an early age group scenario only. These are very constructive times for hockey in the state and for the youth of the state"

Odisha has a history of producing Olympians including legendary defender Dilip Tirkey, Lazarus Barla, Birendra Lakra, Amit Rohidas to name a few.

“A professional High Performance Centre like Naval THA Odisha will provide advanced level training and exposure to the cadets under a resident program, ensure maximum participation of our cadets in National Sub-Junior and Junior Championships and works towards 360° development of the cadets” said NTHO project director Rajiv Seth.

Elaborating on the scouting of boy cadets, he said, “Scouting programs and various trials were carried out in Rourkela, North East, Assam, Coorg and other states with promising hockey talents. We have already shortlisted 100 boys for the final selection camp in Bhubaneswar in the age group of U-17 from Odisha and pan India. We hope to maintain same 60-40% focus from State and pan India unless we have more talent coming in from the state of Odisha, in which case the percentage mix can vary," Seth added.

On the Grassroots Centres, he said, “The Hockey HPC already has 10 Grassroot centres that are operational in Sundargarh and Sambalpur districts. They are divided two categories, Grassroot Promotion and Grassroot Elite. The former category will be instrumental in giving exposure to the youth of 7-10 years from promotion of hockey point of view and the later will be for youth of 10-14 years as elite talent which can easily be considered for RDC programs. Exceptional talent can even be picked for the HPC, directly. This will be a structured approach to yield great results in talent scouting at grassroot levels leading all the way up to an elite High Performance level. 16 Coaches have been appointed at these centres and provided Coaching Education Pathway programs to meet the demands of modern hockey”.

"We feel Naval Tata Hockey Academy Odisha is an institution as it provides 360 degree development of the cadets who can further become self-sustained athletes with opportunities of sound career for themselves. What we have here in Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, with efforts of Department of Sports and Youth Services, Odisha, and the enormous facilities that the state has already installed in such a short span is hard to comprehend. It is truly a sporting capital of the nation," Seth added.

Sportstar



More frowns after Oltmans' exit

By Jugjet Singh

MANY officials in the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have questioned former national coach Roelant Oltmans' actions before he cut short his tenure in Malaysia.

Yesterday, an MHC official alleged that Oltmans got a deal with Dutch club Kampong SV while he was still under contract with the MHC.

"We believe the deal with a club in the Netherlands was done while he was still tied up in a contract with MHC.

"This is not right. He should have waited until we released him before taking up another offer," said the official.

Explaining the chronology leading to Oltmans's "premature early resignation", the official said: "Oltmans came and met us on July 22, saying his wife and another family member were not feeling well.

"He said he wanted to cut short his contract and return to the Netherlands to be with his family.

"We gave him leave to return to the Netherlands just before the MCO (Movement Control Order) was enforced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"MHC paid him in full for the three months that he was out of the country. And so, even though his contract was valid until the ACT (Asian Champions Trophy (slated for the last week of November in Dhaka), we let him resign on July 31 out of compassion.

"But the moment he sent a letter to the Malaysian media saying he has quit, he announced to the Dutch media that he was going to coach a club side.

"We believe he already had the club offer in hand and that's why he hurriedly quit his job in Malaysia and even paid the penalty to do so.

"Luckily, we held back two months of his salaries to settle all the exit and contract issues," said the official.

When contacted by Timesport yesterday about the issue, Oltmans said: "I was aware of the interest of Kampong but the deal has been secured after the approval of my request by the president (Subahan) on July 23."

Oltmans was hired by MHC after Malaysia were edged by Japan in the 2018 Asian Games final in Jakarta.

For Malaysia, the loss to Japan shut the door to the Tokyo Olympics. To open another door, Malaysia had to go through the FIH Series Finals and then a two-legged playoff. And Oltmans was hired to plot the campaign.

But Malaysia ended up being whipped 9-3 on aggregate by Britain, and it opened a can of worms.

First, unhappy players lashed out at Oltmans during a fact-finding interview, and it was also discovered that the Dutchman had caused a bitter divide between the senior and junior players.

New Straits Times



Irish Hockey reject proposed All Ireland League changes as clubs air disappointment

John Flack
 

Disappointed: Lurgan Ladies’ Robbie McMinn

There is to be no change in the structure of the EY Irish Hockey Leagues next season as the sport's national governing body have opted against introducing a new expanded second-tier edition.

There had been widespread calls from clubs for a full-season 18-match EYHL 2 with promotion and relegation, but this has been rejected with the status quo being maintained.

The second division national league will therefore be run on the same lines as the last two seasons with a total of four groups across the women's and men's competition.

Qualification for the new season's EYHL 2 based on finishing positions was determined by points per game after the last season was halted prematurely by the Covid-19 pandemic.

By coincidence, the six Ulster qualifiers remain the same as in the last campaign, with Queen's, Ards and Lurgan women being joined by Cookstown, Kilkeel and Instonians men.

The top-two finishers in the various groups will, as before, contest a play-off series, with the overall winner qualifying automatically for the top-tier all Ireland competition and the runners up facing a promotion play-off against the second-from-last team in EYHL 1.

The decision has caused frustration among the clubs who were in favour of a change to the format, with player welfare among the main concerns.

With EYHL 2 being run in tandem with the domestic leagues, clubs can expect to face around 30 matches per season over 27 weeks, not including knock-out competitions both at domestic and national level.

Unless there are changes to the format of the Premier League in Ulster, for example, teams who also take part in EYHL 2 would face a minimum of 22 domestic games and six in the round robin national competition.

Should teams finish in the top-two and progress to the play-offs, the total of matches would obviously increase. Queen's University ladies, for example, played 37 games two seasons ago, with an additional four being staged in the Irish Inter-Varsities event.

In April, a group of eight women's clubs in EYHL 2 and several men's clubs called upon Hockey Ireland to introduce a full-season format, but this has been rejected.

The governing body have, however, confirmed that there will be a review of the format 'in the coming months', with any changes being in place for the 2021/22 season.

Reaction has been largely negative among the clubs concerned who would have preferred to have contested an 18-match EYHL 2 series

Cookstown joint coach Stephen Cuddy said: "We understand completely that the circumstances have been more difficult with Covid-19 stopping play for so long. But we really do believe that the changes that had so much support from clubs could have been implemented quickly and the season could have begun on time with an  EYHL 2 in place."

Lurgan Ladies coach Robbie McMinn added: "It's disappointing in some ways that a full EYHL 2 will not happen, and there was a good, positive consensus from the teams playing last season that it would have been a logical and positive step.

"Leinster and Ulster teams, in particular, were having a worrying amount of matches and now I think clubs will look at what other competitions they enter to balance already heavy commitments."

Belfast Telegraph



Kaz Cuthbert retires from international hockey



Scotland women’s national team captain Kaz Cuthbert has announced her retirement from international hockey.

In a Scotland career that saw Kaz earn 163 caps and 16 goals, it all started with a medal in Santiago, Chile, and ended with Kaz leading Scotland to a gold medal, and promotion to the top tier of European hockey, at Women’s EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow last year.

“It started with a win and ended with an even better win,” Kaz said, “my first tournament was in 2010 when I played in Santiago, Chile. It was an incredible experience. We came second and it was amazing to win a medal in my first tournament.

“I was buzzing to be selected and I learned so much from the experience. The team had such a high standard of Scottish players so it was intimidating to be stepping into the squad, but they were so supportive and this group gave me an insight into the professionalism and drive required to make it as an international player – these players are legends and it was such a great era to be part of.

“I am very grateful to Sheppy (Gordon Shepherd) for giving me the opportunity to prove myself in Chile, and it was one I grabbed with both hands and never let go of.”

In the years that followed Kaz represented Scotland at two Commonwealth Games; three European Championships; and two EuroHockey Championships II competitions.

The first EuroHockey Championship II brought Kaz a gold medal in 2011 when Scotland won the tournament, and promotion, in Poznan. This success came a year after the incredible experience of representing her country at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. It was at the tournament that Kaz bagged her first goal for Scotland in a shootout against Wales. Kaz recalled, “I remember taking a flick against Wales in Delhi, which was my first goal for Scotland. I didn’t go all the way to Delhi to miss a flick so I was determined to get the goal against Wales.” It was the first goal in 3-1 shootout victory. To play in front of 20,000 fans in Delhi was incredible and just mind blowing for Kaz.

However, the goal that is most memorable to Kaz now has its own name. It first came out against England, and a carbon copy was seen last year at the Euros in Glasgow. Kaz explained, “My favourite goal was against England in London 2015 – the ‘Kaz corner’, originally called ‘the England Corner’ because it was developed to score in the England game, was perfectly executed and gave us the lead early on in the game. I always looked forward to this fixture against such a world class team and scoring that goal with all my family watching was such a big moment for me. I now claim it the ‘Kaz corner’ as I’ve scored it four times and after three you get to name it!”

The EuroHockey Championships in London in 2015 was Kaz’s second time playing amongst Europe’s elite. The first came in EuroHockey Championships, Boom, Belgium, in 2013 and saw Scotland retain their position amongst the top teams in Europe in tremendous back-to-back success. Kaz’s third EuroHockey Championships was in Amsterdam in 2017.


Kareena Cuthbert (SCO, captain). Scotland v Ghana. Womens hockey. XXI Commonwealth games.Gold Coast hockey centre. Gold Coast 2018. Queensland. Australia. 09/04/2018. Garry Bowden/SIPPA

The next big stage for Kaz was the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in 2018, and another opportunity to play against the World’s top players.

Kaz said, “For a hockey player in Scotland who won’t make an Olympic team the Commonwealth Games is the biggest multi games event you can be part of. It’s such a huge honour and only comes around every four years, and being part of Team Scotland is a phenomenal experience. You step out of the hockey bubble and join a massive collection of the best athletes, coaches and support staff Scotland has to offer, it makes you feel so proud to be a part of.

“The two Commonwealth Games experiences were quite different; I was young in Delhi and was excited but very nervous to perform on such a stage. At the Gold Coast as captain I felt more pressure to lead the team, but this was a pressure I put on myself as I always wanted to play the best i could for my team and country. I loved it all! Challenging yourself to stand up and be counted against world class opposition was why I played. Play against the best, learn from the best and aim to be the best.”

The final appearances in a Scotland shirt for Kaz proved to be successful and saw her end her career with a gold medal on home turf. EuroHockey Championship II at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre saw Kaz captain her country to the gold medal, and promotion back to the top division of European hockey, with a flawless record in front of a sell-out crowd.

Kaz fondly remembered the tournament, “I loved the Euros in Glasgow. I missed out on the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games so for me the Euros was my home games.

“It was amazing to play in front of all my family and friends who have been there throughout my whole journey, they finally got the opportunity to see up close what hockey is all about. With the confidence from the coaching staff and the talented pool of players we had, there was no doubt in my mind we were bringing home anything less than the gold medal.

It’s been an incredible journey for one of Scotland’s best loved players and one that Kaz is thankful for. She said, “I want to thank everyone. There’s so many people who have helped me and inspired me. From the youth coaches to the senior coaches, and from the staff at Scottish Hockey to all the amazing volunteers in the game – thank you for embracing me and letting me run around a pitch.

“Hockey has given me an extended family, friends for life and memories that will last a lifetime. I want to thank my closest friends and family, but most importantly I want to thank the teams I have played with – without them I am nothing.”


The Scotland team celebrate with the trophy – Photo by Duncan Gray

Scotland women’s Head Coach Jen Wilson said, “Kaz can be very proud of everything she has achieved and certainly look back with no regrets at all. She has epitomised hard work, passion and dedication with an ‘all or nothing’ approach. Kaz was also always striving for more and wanted to take everyone on that journey.

“An incredible leader both on and off the field and thoroughly deserved to lift the EuroHockey trophy on behalf of the squad last year. Great leaders inspire others to achieve great things and Kaz was certainly a catalyst to this success.

“There’s been many classy goals, like the Kaz corner, some world class passes and some important tackles ingrained in our memories and although Kaz’s international playing career has come to a close we all look forward to seeing her pitch side cheering on Scotland on many more occasions in the future.”

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Athlete Spotlight: Colin Hennessy



Each athlete that wears the red, white and blue has a unique story to how their careers came to fruition. From the junior level to the senior squad, USA Field Hockey is putting national team athletes under the spotlight to share their journeys.

In each sport around the world, every athlete has a particular origin story. Their passions could be fueled by family ties, exposure to the game or just by the people they meet along the way. For Colin Hennessy it’s a little bit of all these sources and more, and each has crafted him during his young career as a current member of the Junior U.S. Men’s National Team. 

Like countless other eager youth, Hennessy grew up playing more than one sport. He picked up field hockey in the sixth grade following a concussion playing soccer as he wanted to remain active in sports.



“It looked somewhat similar to soccer and my mom had played in college and had coached, so why not,” said Hennessy. “ I gave it a try and loved it. Went to a local high performance one-day camp in Boston where I met Chris Clements, Rutger Wiese and Chris Pothier, and from there, my goal was set, to one day play for the USMNT.”

Hennessy never looked back as he moved on to play his first two years at Marlborough High School helping the team to a district championship his sophomore year.

“I scored the winning goal with 4 seconds left in the game,” recalled Hennessy. “It was pretty awesome.”

The Marlborough, Mass. native focused on cross country his junior year before helping manage the varsity field hockey team his senior year. During this time, Hennessy sharpened his field hockey prowess with the Cape Ann Field Hockey Club (FHC) by training, when time permitted, through the clubs numerous boys, girls and co-ed programs and opportunities.

His young career in the U.S. Men’s National Team Development Pipeline has been a lifelong lesson thus far. When asked about ideal memories in the program, Hennessy quickly recalled the Junior USMNT’s competition at the 2017 Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

“Although this tournament was tough, I consider it to be one of the biggest learning moments in my field hockey career,” continued Hennessy. “These matches taught me so much about the core values that I believe in - perseverance, hard work ethic, grit and lifting your teammates up when running into adversity.”

USA played six total matches and finished sixth in the international tournament. In contrast, Hennessy also recalled the team’s friendly series against Canada the following year in November. It was the first time the red, white and blue had prevailed over the neighbors to the North in a number of years. Hennessy is also active in the indoor program and was part of the Indoor USMNT that competed at the Rohrmax Cup in Vienna, Austria in January. It has been a roller coaster experience thus far for Hennessy who has used the ups and downs to set further personal goals and keep his sights on moving up to the senior squad.



Currently, Hennessy is attending Penn State University’s Schreyer Honors College, a highly ranked honors program, and is studying both political science and philosophy. On the field, he is an active practice player with the Nittany Lions’ field hockey team. While he cannot participate in NCAA matches, he actively trains with the squad, does sports coding and assists where he can along the sideline on game day, all on top of his commitments to Team USA.

“Training with the PSU team keeps me on the top of my game,” said Hennessy. “I appreciate being coached by Char Morett-Curtiss and the opportunity to be involved with the Big Ten team. I keep pretty busy between my studies, PSU field hockey, the outdoor Junior USMNT and training with the Indoor USMNT too.”

When time permits between academics and training, Hennessy coaches eager athletes at Cape Ann FHC for both indoor and outdoor field hockey. In the past, his church youth group traveled each summer to either New York City or Washington D.C. to renovate and build homes as well as church restoration. More recently, he has been active with Fresh Start Furniture Bank, which provides home goods, furniture and more to both families and veterans in need of assistance.

Whether he has a stick in his hand or otherwise, Hennessy has demonstrated an instinct to help those around him in any capacity, a value that will no doubt benefit his aspirations on and off the field in the years to come.

USFHA media release



Reezal visits Ahmad Sofian at IJN

By Jugjet Singh


Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican talks with Ahmad Sofian Zulkifli and his wife Hamizah Osman at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

FORMER Perak footballer and national hockey goalkeeper Ahmad Sofian Zulkifli, who has been admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur, was visited by Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican on Thursday.

Accompanying Reezal for the visit were Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal and National Sports Council director general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail.

Ahmad Sofian's plight came to the attention of the MHC in May.

He needs financial help to undergo a heart procedure, costing about RM70,000 if done at a private hospital in Ipoh.

The MHC had arranged for Ahmad Sofian to have a second opinion at IJN, as the private hospital had wanted to plant a battery-powered device in his heart.

The National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) has pledged RM20,000, leaving Ahmad Sofian needing another RM50,000.

His friends have also started a donation drive on social media to help him.

New Straits Times

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