International Hockey Federation facts for kids
Official logo of the FIH
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| Abbreviation | FIH |
|---|---|
| Formation | 7 January 1924 |
| Founded at | Paris, France |
| Type | Sports federation |
| Legal status | Governing body of: Field hockey Indoor hockey Hockey5s |
| Purpose | Sport governance |
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
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Membership
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140 national associations |
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Official language
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English, French |
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President
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Tayyab Ikram |
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CEO
|
Thierry Weil |
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Main organ
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Congress |
| Affiliations | International Olympic Committee |
The International Hockey Federation, often called FIH, is the main organization that manages field hockey and indoor field hockey all over the world. Its main office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. The FIH is in charge of the biggest international hockey events, like the famous Hockey World Cup.
Contents
History of the FIH
The FIH was started on January 7, 1924, in Paris, France. Paul Léautey was its first president. The organization was created because field hockey was not included in the 1924 Summer Olympics. The first countries to join the seven founding members were Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain, and Switzerland.
In 1982, the FIH joined together with the International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations (IFWHA). The IFWHA had been started in 1927 by countries like Australia, Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, the United States, and Wales.
Since 2005, the FIH has been located in Lausanne, Switzerland. Before that, it was in Brussels, Belgium. In 2022, the FIH decided to ban Russia from the 2022 Women's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup. They also banned Russian and Belarusian officials from their events. This was a response to a major international event.
How the FIH is Organized
The FIH has 140 member countries. These countries are part of five larger groups called confederations. For example, Great Britain is a member, and its team plays in events like the Olympics. However, England, Scotland, and Wales also have their own separate teams for other FIH tournaments.
Here are the five main confederations:
- AfHF – African Hockey Federation (for Africa)
- AHF – Asian Hockey Federation (for Asia)
- EHF – European Hockey Federation (for Europe)
- OHF – Oceania Hockey Federation (for Oceania)
- PAHF – Pan American Hockey Federation (for North and South America)
The FIH World Rankings are updated after major tournaments. These rankings show which teams are the best in the world.
Presidents of the FIH
Here is a list of the people who have been president of the FIH:
| No. | Name | Country | Took office | Left office | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Léautey |  France |
1924 | 1926 | |
| 2 | Frantz Reichel | France |
1926 | 1932 | |
| 3 | Marc Bellin du Côteau | France |
1932 | 1936 | |
| 4 | Georg Evers |  Germany |
1936 | 1945 | |
| — | Robert Liégeois |  Belgium |
1945 | 1946 | Acting |
| 5 | Jaap Quarles van Ufford |  Netherlands |
1946 | 1966 | |
| 6 | Rene Frank | Belgium |
1966 | 1983 | |
| 7 | Étienne Glichitch |  France |
1983 | 1996 | |
| 8 | Juan Calzado |  Spain |
1996 | 2001 | |
| 9 | Els van Breda Vriesman | Netherlands |
2001 | 2008 | |
| 10 | Leandro Negre | Spain |
2008 | 2016 | |
| 11 | Narinder Dhruv Batra |  India |
2016 | 2022 | |
| — | Seif El Dine Ahmed |  Egypt |
2022 | 2022 | Acting |
| 12 | Tayyab Ikram |  Macau |
2022 | Incumbent |
Awards and Recognition
The FIH gives out "Player of the Year Awards" every year since 1998. These awards celebrate the best male and female hockey players. In 2001, they added a "young player" category for players under 21.
The FIH also has twelve special "Honorary awards." These are given to people who have helped field hockey a lot over the years.
FIH Tournaments
The FIH organizes many exciting hockey tournaments for different age groups and types of hockey.
Major Tournaments
| Format | Hockey | Indoor Hockey | Hockey5s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Olympic Games[a] | Indoor Hockey World Cup | Hockey5s World Cup |
| Hockey World Cup | |||
| Pro League | |||
| Women | Olympic Games[a] | Indoor Hockey World Cup | Hockey5s World Cup |
| Hockey World Cup | |||
| Pro League | |||
| Under-21 Men | Hockey Junior World Cup | – | Youth Olympic Games[a] |
| Under-21 Women | Women's Hockey Junior World Cup | – | Youth Olympic Games[a] |
[a] in cooperation with International Olympic Committee
Other Important Tournaments
- Men's Hockey Nations Cup
- Women's Hockey Nations Cup
- Masters Hockey World Cup
- Grand Master Hockey World Cup
- International Children's Games
Current Champions
Here are the current champions of some major FIH competitions:
| Competition | Current | Champions | Details | Runners-up | Next | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's national teams | |||||||
| Olympic Games | 2020 (qual.) | Belgium |
Final |  Australia |
2024 (qual.) | ||
| Hockey World Cup | 2023 | Germany  |
Final | Belgium |
2026 | ||
| Pro League | 2022–23 | Netherlands |
RR |  Great Britain |
2023–24 | ||
| Hockey Nations Cup | 2022 | South Africa  |
Final |  Ireland |
2023-24 | ||
| Hockey Junior World Cup (U-21) | 2023 | Germany |
Final |  France |
2025 | ||
| Indoor Hockey World Cup | 2023 | Austria  |
Final | Netherlands |
2025 | ||
| Hockey5s World Cup | 2024 | Netherlands |
Final |  Malaysia |
TBA | ||
| Youth Olympic Games (U-21) | 2018 | Malaysia |
Final | India |
2026 | ||
| Women's national teams | |||||||
| Olympic Games | 2020 (qual.) | Netherlands |
Final |  Argentina |
2024 (qual.) | ||
| Hockey World Cup | 2022 | Netherlands |
Final | Argentina |
2026 | ||
| Pro League | 2022–23 | Netherlands |
RR | Argentina |
2023–24 | ||
| Hockey Nations Cup | 2022 | India |
Final | Spain |
2023-24 | ||
| Hockey Junior World Cup (U-21) | 2023 | Netherlands |
Final | Argentina |
2025 | ||
| Indoor Hockey World Cup | 2023 | Netherlands |
Final | Austria |
2025 | ||
| Hockey5s World Cup | 2024 | Netherlands |
Final | India |
TBA | ||
| Youth Olympic Games (U-21) | 2018 | Argentina |
Final | India |
2026 | ||
FIH Partners
The International Hockey Federation works with different partners. One of their main partners is:
- Hero MotoCorp
See also
In Spanish: Federación Internacional de Hockey para niños
- FIH World Rankings
- Hockey Rules Board
- History of field hockey
