Hockey will be back only when vaccine is found: FIH

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) believes global competition among its member countries will be possible only during the last stage of the process, the timeline of which cannot be set. “These are very early days when it comes to a return to action but within its guidance, FIH has produced a five-stage process showing the route back to something resembling normality,” FIH said in a statement.

“This starts with a return to carefully managed training, still with social distancing measures in place. The next stage will be a resumption of regional competitions, followed by local travel between neighbouring nations. The trans-continental competitions will follow and, finally, once a vaccine is in place, there will be a return to normal competitions. There is no time scale for these stages to be reached and it will vary from country to country.” 

FIH said when competitions do resume, organisers will need to be hugely conscious of safety measures that will need to be implemented, in order to keep the hockey workforce and the fans safe. A document circulated will help and support Continental Federations, National Associations and clubs in their efforts to make headway towards resuming some sort of training activities.

“The guidelines, which are aligned to those issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), cover the entire hockey workforce, including athletes, coaches, officials, staff, administrators and volunteers. Along with a risk assessment chart to which all hockey organisations are advised to adhere, there are also guidelines for organisers of international events once there is a return to international competitions,” FIH said.

Just like other sports, international hockey has come to a standstill because of the global pandemic. It has forced FIH to extend the second season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, which involves considerable international travel, through to June 2021.