ISLAMABAD, May 11 (APP): ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’, the first-ever senior World Hockey5s event organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), will take place in less than one month, on June 4 and 5, this year in Lausanne, Switzerland.
In addition to a thrilling competition on the field of play with some of the powerhouses of international hockey (Women: Switzerland, India, Poland, South Africa and Uruguay; Men: Switzerland, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Poland), the event also aims at enabling everyone to discover and practice the sport, with an initiation offered to the public throughout both days. Furthermore, a DJ music programme will entertain fans during the whole event, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) said on its website on Wednesday.
“And since hockey is a big family, even the players of the flagship ice hockey club of the Vaud city – the Lausanne Hockey Club (LHC) – will be there and will come to compete for an exhibition match at a local and international selection of (field) hockey players,” the FIH said.
The tournament will be streamed live globally on the Watch.Hockey platform and broadcast in approximately 100 countries around the world.
Hockey5s is played with five athletes per team. It is particularly known for its non-stop action, since the ball is in play for about 90% of a match, thanks to perimeter boards placed against the outside of the side-lines and back-lines. There are usually more goals with Hockey5s than with the more traditional 11-a-side format of hockey, since players can score from anywhere in the attacking half. The match duration is shorter, with two halves of 10 minutes each.
Hockey5s is played on a smaller pitch, which enables to bring hockey to people in new and unexpected venues, sometimes even in the heart of cities. Precisely, ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’ will be staged on the Place de la Navigation, an iconic location near the Lac Léman bordering the Olympic Capital, where a 500-seat stadium will be built specifically for the occasion. FIH Global Supplier Polytan will deliver the first prototype non-watered turf for elite hockey.
Commenting on ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’, FIH CEO Thierry Weil stated: “We’re very much looking forward to this really exciting event in the Olympic capital! Beyond the competitive aspect, one major objective of this event is to promote – or even introduce – the intensity, speed, skills and fun of hockey to everyone, not only in the city but also worldwide thanks to Watch.Hockey and our broadcast partners. On behalf of FIH, I’d like to extend our sincerest thanks to all our partners, in particular our title sponsor Hero, as well as the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud, for their great support. And I invite everyone to come and enjoy our sport!”
Played in more than 70 countries around the world, Hockey5s was the most attended sport at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with no less than 200’000 spectators.
In 2019, in order to further boost the development of hockey globally through Hockey5s, the FIH Executive Board decided to create an FIH Hockey5s World Cup – with the inaugural edition planned in 2024 in Oman – and, in the near future, a Hockey5s World Tour, which will consist of events similar to Lausanne’s.
