International Hockey Federation Explained

International Hockey Federation
Full Name:French: Fédération Internationale de Hockey
Abbreviation:FIH
Founding Location:Paris, France
Type:Sports federation
Status:Governing body of:
Field hockey
Indoor hockey
Hockey5s
Beach hockey[1]
Purpose:Sport governance
Headquarters:Lausanne, Switzerland
Region Served:Worldwide
Membership:140 national associations
Language:English, French[2]
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:Tayyab Ikram[3]
Leader Title2:CEO
Leader Name2:Thierry Weil
Main Organ:Congress
Affiliations:International Olympic Committee

The International Hockey Federation, commonly known by the acronym FIH, is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. FIH is responsible for field hockey's major international tournaments, notably the Hockey World Cup.

History

FIH was founded on 7 January 1924 in Paris by Paul Léautey, who became the first president, in response to field hockey's omission from the programme of the 1924 Summer Olympics.[4] First members complete to join the seven founding members were Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain, and Switzerland.[5]

In 1982, the FIH merged with the International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations (IFWHA), which had been founded in 1927 by Australia, Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, the United States, and Wales.

The organisation has been based in Lausanne, Switzerland since 2005, having moved from Brussels, Belgium.[6]

In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIH banned Russia from the 2022 Women's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, and banned Russian and Belarusian officials from FIH events.[7]

Structure

In total, there are 140 member associations within the five confederations recognised by FIH. This includes Great Britain which is recognised as an adherent member of FIH, the team was represented at the Olympics and the Champions Trophy. England, Scotland and Wales are also represented by separate teams in FIH sanctioned tournaments.

AfHF – African Hockey Federation

AHF – Asian Hockey Federation

EHF – European Hockey Federation

OHF – Oceania Hockey Federation

PAHF – Pan American Hockey Federation

The FIH World Rankings was updated once after the major tournament finished, based on FIH sanction tournaments.

Presidents

The following is a list of presidents of FIH:[8]

Presidents of FIH! No. !! Name !! Country !! Took office !! Left office !! Note
1Paul Léautey 1924 1926
2Frantz Reichel 1926 1932
3Marc Bellin du Côteau 1932 1936
4Georg Evers 1936 1945
—Robert Liégeois 1945 1946 Acting
5Jaap Quarles van Ufford 1946 1966
6Rene Frank 1966 1983
7Étienne Glichitch 1983 1996
8Juan Calzado 1996 2001
9Els van Breda Vriesman 2001 2008
10Leandro Negre 2008 2016
11Narinder Batra 2016 2022
—Seif El Dine Ahmed 2022 2022 Acting
12Tayyab Ikram 2022 Incumbent

FIH Awards

The FIH Awards have been given annually since 1998 for men and women, while the young category was added in 2001 to honour the best performances for junior players. FIH has twelve Honorary awards given to people who have made outstanding contributions to field hockey.[9]

Tournaments

Major

FormatHockeyIndoor HockeyHockey5s
MenOlympic GamesIndoor Hockey World CupHockey5s World Cup
World Cup
Pro League
Nations Cup
Nations Cup 2
WomenOlympic GamesIndoor Hockey World CupHockey5s World Cup
World Cup
Pro League
Nations Cup
Nations Cup 2
Youth MenJunior World CupYouth Olympic Games
Youth WomenJunior World CupYouth Olympic Games

Other

Current winners

CompetitionCurrentChampionsDetailsRunners-upNext
Men's
Olympic GamesFinal
World Cup2023Final2026
Pro League2024–25RR2025–26
Nations Cup2024–25Final2025–26
Nations Cup 22024–25Final2025–26
Junior World Cup (U-21)2025Final2027
Indoor World Cup2025Final
Hockey5s World Cup2024Final
Youth Olympic Games (U-18)2018Final2026
Women's
Olympic GamesFinal
World Cup2022Final2026
Pro League2024–25RR2025–26
Nations Cup2024–25Final2025–26
Nations Cup 22024–25Final2025–26
Junior World Cup (U-21) 2025Final2027
Indoor Hockey World Cup2025Final2027
Hockey5s World Cup2024Final
Youth Olympic Games (U-18)2018Final2026

Partners

The following are the partners of the International Hockey Federation:[10]

See also

Notes

  1. Web site: BEACH HOCKEY RULES, EFFECTIVE FROM 1 JUNE2024 .
  2. Web site: International Hockey Federation Statutes. FIH. 28 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20110812073807/http://www.fih.ch/files/Sport/Coaching/FIH%20Statutes%20and%20Bylaws.pdf. 12 August 2011. live.
  3. Web site: Tayyab Ikram (MAC) elected as new President of FIH . FIH . 5 November 2022 . 5 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221105135339/https://www.fih.hockey/events/congress/48th-fih-congress/news/tayyab-ikram-mac-elected-as-new-president-of-fih . live .
  4. Web site: Sathe. Mukund. Paul Léautey. 2021-04-01. This Day in History. en. 22 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210622162619/https://mukundsathe.com/tag/paul-leautey/. live.
  5. Web site: History FIH . 2024-02-02 . International Hockey Federation . en.
  6. Web site: 1 March 2025 . Where is the Headquarters of International Hockey Federation Located? . 18 May 2025 . Adda247 Current Affairs.
  7. Web site: 2022-03-18 . FIH reiterates full support to Ukraine’s hockey community . 2022-03-22 . FIH . 26 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220326201156/http://www.fih.ch/news/fih-reiterates-full-support-to-ukraine-s-hockey-community/ . live .
  8. Web site: Hockey . Olympedia . 16 December 2022 . 15 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221215190142/https://www.olympedia.org/sports/HOC . live .
  9. Web site: Honorary Awards FIH Hockey Awards . 2024-02-02 . International Hockey Federation . en.
  10. Web site: International Hockey Federation. FIH. 28 October 2012. 17 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160617225608/http://www.fih.ch/. live.