FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup to be held in April 2022

The FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup, which was originally scheduled to be played in December 2021, will now be held in April 2022. The World Cup will be held at its originally planned venue - the North-West University in Potchefstroom in South Africa.

The World Cup will be held from April 2 to April 13, 2022. The decision was taken by the Executive Board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) during a virtual meeting on January 10.

However, due to the threat posed by the pandemic, the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup scheduled to be held in Belgium has been canceled.

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In a media statement, FIH CEO Thierry Weil said the decision to hold the World Cup in South Africa was arrived after taking all due points into consideration. He said:

“Since the postponement of this event, we’ve been in permanent contact with the South African Hockey Association. Based on the reports about the current evolution of the health situation in the country, the Executive Board has confirmed that the tournament should be postponed and that South Africa should have priority for hosting it."

"We’re aware that the new dates are challenging for some nations – in particular because of Ramadan or the European club calendar – but it was essential for FIH to fully support the wish of the athletes to play. We’re looking forward to a great event with female rising stars," Weil added.

Hockey Indoor World Cup canceled

FIH and Hockey Belgium have been forced to cancel the FIH Indoor World Cup Belgium 2022. This decision has been taken on the basis of the current health situation in Belgium. The authorities also had extensive consultations with and recommendation from all official and competent authorities in the country.

“The FIH Indoor World Cup is the pinnacle of indoor hockey. Therefore, considering all indoor athletes and fans, it was extremely hard to cancel the 2022 edition planned in just a few weeks. But, of course, we have followed the recommendations of the local authorities. On behalf of FIH, I would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the organizers, and in particular the Belgian Association, for their tremendous preparation work and their great dedication," Weil said.

Finally, the Executive Board took note that the first FIH Pro League matches of the year will take place on 31 January and 1 February 2022 in Oman. It will involve the women’s teams of China and India.