Lausanne Switzerland: The Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) held its first meeting of the year on 10 and 11 April in Tokyo, Japan, under the chairmanship of FIH President Tayyab Ikram. Two major topics were central to the discussions: the development and future of hockey.
In this regard, the EB agreed on the principles and timeline of a new global strategy for hockey aimed at boosting the sport’s development worldwide by empowering athletes, inspiring young people, connecting communities, increasing the number of players and fans, growing resources for the sport, and making hockey a catalyst for positive social change. This strategy aligns with the “Fit For The Future” initiative launched by the IOC and its President Kirsty Coventry.
The EB decided to expand the installation of free-of-charge hockey pitches in emerging nations to full-size pitches. Thus far, this programme – which is part of one of the key pillars of the FIH Empowerment and Engagement Strategy, namely “More Places to Play” – had focused on Hockey5s pitches.
The EB also approved a proposal from the FIH Competitions and Medical Committees to establish a minimum age for representing a country in an international event, as follows:
➢ For an Under-18 event, a player must have been at least 13 years old on 1 January of the calendar year in which the event takes place
➢ For a Junior (Under-21) or Senior event, a player must have been at least 15 years old on 1 January of the calendar year in which the event takes place
This new regulation aims to protect the health and welfare of young athletes. It will come into force on 1 January 2027.
The EB members were updated on the latest preparations for the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup, which will take place in Belgium and the Netherlands this year (15–30 August 2026), as well as all other forthcoming events, including the LA28 Olympics, the final stage of the FIH Hockey Pro League (13–28 June), and the FIH Hockey Nations Cup (Women’s: 15–21 June in New Zealand; Men’s: 10–21 June in South Africa).
Additionally, detailed reports were produced on a wide range of important topics, including the Empowerment and Engagement strategy, Olympic Solidarity, the FIH Academy, Innovation and Technology, Commercial and Broadcast, and Communication and Marketing.
The EB members were introduced to two new apps developed by the FIH Technology Department: “FIH Connect” – a centralised hub designed to enable quicker, smoother, and more direct communication from FIH to the Continental Federations and National Associations – and “Hockey Scores Live” – a fan engagement app focused on live scores and statistics.
On the sidelines of the EB meeting, the FIH delegation had the opportunity to meet Princess Takamado. “I congratulated Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado on the qualification of both the Japanese women’s and men’s teams for this year’s World Cup, as well as on the outstanding performance of Japanese athletes at Milano-Cortina. I look forward to further opportunities to discuss the development of hockey in Japan and beyond with Her Imperial Highness, who is also the patron of Japan hockey,” President Ikram said.
Furthermore, the Board received a visit from Seiko Hashimoto, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee. “I expressed our deepest gratitude to Seiko Hashimoto for her unwavering support of sport in general, and hockey in particular, over the years, as well as for her outstanding work and commitment at the helm of the organisation of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which were held under very challenging circumstances, as we all remember,” the FIH President said.
The next EB meeting will take place during the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.
–FIH press release
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