* Nine hosts announced for Round 1 events in summer 2016
* Turkey and Peru to host first ever FIH competitions
* First stage of Hockey World Cup 2018 qualification process
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed today that nine locations around the world will host 2016/17 Hockey World League (HWL) Round 1 events. Taking place in the summer of 2016, joint men’s and women’s events will be held in Accra (Ghana); Singapore (Singapore); Prague (Czech Republic); Salamanca (Mexico); Chiclayo (Peru) while a location in Oceania will also be confirmed at a later date.
In addition to the joint gender events, another women’s competition will take place in Cambrai (France) while Antalya (Turkey) and Glasgow (Scotland) will host men’s competitions. These host awards mark a historic occasion for both Peru and Turkey who will hold their first ever FIH events, a clear indication of the rapid development of hockey within these nations.
The events were announced as excitement continues to build ahead of the Season 2 Finals taking place later this year. The men’s Hero Hockey World League Final will take place in Raipur, India between 27 November and 6 December, while the women’s Argentina Hockey World League Final will take place in Rosario, Argentina between 5-13 December.
Speaking of this news, FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather said: “These latest host announcements really do highlight the global spread of hockey around the world. Each award is an indication of the growth of the sport taking place in these countries, of which is incredibly inspiring.”
He continued: “I’m sure that the excitement and buzz created by the Hockey World League Finals in India and Argentina later this year will continue into these events. All of the hosts are in tune with our Hockey Revolution goals, in particular our aim to develop innovative and exciting entertainment events. As a result, we’re sure each local organiser will put on a fantastic platform for hockey and in doing so, inspire many more people to take up hockey.”
The dates for each event are currently being finalised in conjunction with each host National Association and as soon as they are finalised they will be published on the FIH website. These latest confirmations follow the announcement of six nations that will host HWL Round 2 events, including Trinidad & Tobago, Ireland, Bangladesh, Canada, Spain and Malaysia.
Rankings at the Round 1 competitions will determine which teams will qualify for the Round 2 events which will take place in in early 2017. Composed of four rounds and played over two years, the HWL takes place in venues around the world. This unique competition gives even the smallest hockey-playing nations the opportunity to write their own chapter in hockey’s history books, as they are given the chance to progress through the Rounds, with the added incentive of Olympic or World Cup qualification also on offer.
The 2016/17 HWL will decide which teams will qualify, alongside the Continental Champions and hosts, for the FIH World Cups in 2018 in England (women) and India (men). All teams participating in the HWL will also receive FIH World Ranking points which could prove crucial when it comes to qualification for other hockey events, while the winners will qualify for the 2018 Champions Trophies in Argentina (women) and the Netherlands (men).
