Over the first week of September, as the Hockey5s Asia Cup 2023 came to an end, the captains of all participating teams enthusiastically united with FIH President Tayyab Ikram to carry forward FIH’s "Give Back to Forest'' global campaign in Salalah, Oman.
Over the past month, projects all over the world have been launched under the sustainability umbrella of this initiative. In Uruguay, the Uruguay Hockey Federation started this programme by planting thousands of trees around the first water-based pitch in Montevideo, Uruguay. In India, during the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, execution on the initiative to plant 100,000 trees began in Tamil Nadu, the Indian state where the event took place. In Nepal, during a coaching course led by FIH educator, Zahid Ali, the National Olympic Committee of Nepal and the Nepal Hockey Association organised a significant tree plantation drive at the NOC Headquarters in Kathmandu, kickstarting this ambitious afforestation campaign in hockey-playing regions across the nation.
At the Hockey5s Asia Cup, President Ikram partnering with captains of the men’s and women’s teams, planted trees across the scenic landscapes of Salalah, Oman, making the hosts of the upcoming inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Cup another region to put this campaign into action.
The recently launched “Give Back to Forest” campaign is a part of the FIH “Empowerment and Engagement” strategy which is championed by President Ikram. This campaign is set to resonate globally, transcending borders and uniting the hockey family towards the goal of pursuing the betterment of the sport’s sustainability footprint.
