MUSCAT, JAN 4
International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) new president Tayyab Ikram will arrive in Muscat on January 6 for meetings regarding the FIH Hockey5s World Cup to be hosted by the Sultanate of Oman.
Ikram, in his first visit to Oman after getting elected as FIH president in November 2022, will hold talks with the top leadership of Oman regarding the hosting of the first edition of FIH Hockey5s World Cup.
Oman is poised to host the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men’s and women’s hockey 5s teams in January 2024.
The FIH chief’s visit also coincides with the opening day of Men’s Junior AHF Cup tournament being hosted by Muscat from January 6 to 12.
Ikram’s visit gains significance as the FIH president is expected to hold discussions with top leadership of the Omani Government, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MCSY), Oman Olympic Committee Chairman Shaikh Khalid al Zubair, and the Oman Hockey Association office-bearers.
WORLD CUP PREPARATION
The FIH chief’s agenda also includes receiving a detailed progress update of the FIH Hockey 5s World Cup and having personal interaction with the hockey community in Oman.
In his remarks, Ikram said: “I am looking forward to having fruitful discussions with the top leadership in Oman to ensure that the inaugural edition of the Hockey 5s World Cup is organised in the best possible manner.”
A senior OHA official said that the visit of the FIH president will help further strengthen the Sultanate of Oman’s relationship with the world body and help all stakeholders gain valuable guidance for best preparations and successful delivery of the FIH Hockey 5s World Cup.
In his previous interaction with Oman Observer, the FIH president had promised efforts to strengthen the reach of hockey in the global scene.
“I am committed to furthering the development of hockey within the countries that are not as prominent on the international stage,” the top hockey administrator from Macau, had said after winning the election to the FIH post.
Ikram said he would streamline the FIH efforts to improve hockey infrastructure in countries lacking it.
“The FIH will require more finances to turn these aspects into reality. So we need to market the sport more effectively and find various revenue options to back the developmental goals,” the Pakistan-born official said.
Ikram in his capacity as the CEO of Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) had a major role in bringing the Asian Champions Trophy for the first time to Oman in 2018.
Tayyab had opined that the five-a-side format of hockey will be the next big thing for the game in the coming years.
“The five-a-side hockey will be an exciting format of the game that will earn a lot of fans across the world with its eye-catching style.”
“It is a new project of FIH. It was only played in the Youth Olympics. I think it is not only Oman, but the GCC and Asia are also honoured to host this exciting format of hockey,” he said.
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