FIH President Ikram all praise for Oman Hockey Association
Muscat - With the inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Cup underway in Muscat, Oman, FIH President Tayyab Ikram addressed the media in a press conference along with Oman Hockey Association chairman, Dr Marwan Juma al Juma, answering queries on the various aspects of the World Cup, as well as the future of international hockey across its various formats.
Ikram, on behalf of the global hockey family, thanked Oman and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq for their support in making the tournament the success it has already proved to be in its very first edition.
He also thanked the Oman Hockey Association and its chairman Dr Marwan Juma al Juma, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MCSY) and His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said for making the dream of an FIH Hockey5s World Cup a reality.
“The feedback from all the athletes that have participated in the Hockey5s World Cup as well as the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers, which was also hosted in Muscat earlier this month, has been overwhelmingly positive. I congratulate the Oman Hockey Association on the smart creation of the stadium and adjacent infrastructure which has been built in a record time, while maintaining the highest international standards.”
“I am thrilled to see the level of competition at this World Cup, with teams from all around the world writing exciting new stories in hockey. I am also thankful to all our athletes, who are the absolute best our sport has to offer and who have come from all parts of the world to make this event such a success.”
Oman Hockey Association chairman, Dr Marwan also addressed the media and made note of the work that had gone on behind the scenes to make the World Cup a possibility, "Ever since we won the right to host the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s World Cup, we have been working really hard to make this the best event we could. A special thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MCSY) and His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham al Said, for all the assistance from the very beggining. It
has been great to see the level of competition at this World Cup with new nations competing at a high level against traditionally strong hockey teams."
Legacy of new stadium in Muscat
“Legacy of any infrastructure developed for international hockey competitions is always a core subject at FIH,” said Ikram. The new stadium built in Oman similarly has a lot of legacy planning that has been done for it. We plan on the stadium becoming a training hub for international teams. For teams flying from Europe to South Asia or Oceania and vice versa for hockey events, Oman and its new stadium will be an ideal spot to train in the build up to the event, making use of these international facilities of the highest standard. The FIH Academy will also work closely with Oman Hockey Association and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in Oman to develop a hockey program that will make use of the facilities to promote a hockey program for the youth of Oman.”
“We are also planning to make these facilities in Oman as the hub for the development of hockey in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, which
will be very important, given the Asian Games in 2030 will be played in Doha and the 2034 games will be hosted in Saudi Arabia.”
Oman enter last eight
Oman national hockey team scripted a new chapter in the country's sporting history by securing a 6-4 victory over the United States on Monday and qualifying for the quarter-finals of the men’s FIH Hockey5s World Cup 2024.
The win propelled them to the top of Group 4 with seven points, following a draw in their opening match against Malaysia with a score of 3-3, a decisive 8-3 win against the Fiji, and culminating in their victory against the US.