In December, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced it will hold the inaugural Youth Hockey5s World Cup with 24 national under-18 teams from around the world competing in Ismailia, Egypt. It will feature a new international stage for young players in moreover with 12 men’s and women’s teams competing, all in the Hockey5s format.
The event comes into the picture in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic after the postponement of 2022 Youth Olympics. Hockey was later accepted as a non-medal Engagement Sport for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and thus new path found for the international youth competition.
The tournament will go beyond hockey matches, with Hockey5s to be infused with education, leadership and athlete development programmes, FIH said. During the three days preceding the competition, athletes and team staff will participate in “Development Days” that will support their sports and lives.
The Athlete Talent Camp will run from December 7 to 9, covering hockey skills and tactics alongside Olympic values, athlete wellbeing and long-term athlete development. The programme’s objective is to offer the participants a learning opportunity which would support the time they have spent out on the field.
There will also be a Youth Leadership Camp held during the tournament for the younger members of the team and umpire teams. All of the participating countries will nominate an umpire between the ages of 18 and 25, and successful nominees will be awarded an FIH Level 1 Umpiring Award or FIH Youth Leadership Award.
India went on to win their places in both the women’s and men’s events due to victory in the first-ever Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship in Muscat in July. India won the final, 3-1, over Pakistan and the women’s runner-up, China.
In August, African under-18 Hockey5s qualifiers took place in Nairobi, as part of the FIH calendar. But it has not yet been officially announced who the full 24-player World Cup team will be.
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