On the occasion of the 49th FIH Statutory Congress that was staged in Muscat, Oman, former EuroHockey President and ex-FIH EB Member Marijke Fleuren, who is now the Chair of the FIH Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, received the highly prestigious FIH Honorary Member Award. A standing ovation from the Congress delegates accompanied the hand-over of the Award by FIH President Tayyab Ikram.
Upon receiving this Award, Marijke Fleuren said: “Touched and grateful were my feelings at the moment Elisabeth Fürst called my name to come forward.
Touched: to be awarded for your passion means a lot to me. Hockey is my passion as it is for my whole family. The sport and the people are in the centre of my life. My hockey clubs have been my second house.
Grateful: since 1999, I’ve been involved in FIH in different roles. I have learned a lot, listened a lot and have got the opportunity to guide the change to a gender equal and diverse organisation.
Hockey ID players (Hockey+ in Spain) and the position of women became my topics. Little Martha and her colleagues have stolen my heart. I will do everything for them!
These feelings and the standing ovation brought tears to my eyes. Many thanks to President Tayyab and the Executive Board!”
Marijke Fleuren was also overwhelmed by the launch of the FIH Women in Hockey Empowerment Project — a transformative platform designed to uplift and engage female players, coaches, officials, and leaders in the sport.
As part of the inaugural FIH Women in Hockey Empowerment Project, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation has awarded FIH a grant to help change the future of sport for girls by leveraging Body Confident Sport – a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based set of coaching tools co-created by Nike and Dove which provides coaches with the materials they need to help increase body confidence, body image and self-esteem in girls.
Commenting on the launch of the project, Marijke Fleuren said: "Hockey has been a pioneer in the fight for gender equality for a long time now. However, challenges remain. Body confidence among young girls and women is one of them. We are proud to lead this change with a tangible program and a clear call to action. The joy to play hockey must take the lead again!”
“The positions of women on and off the field of play are in front of my mind: creating awareness, using the dialogue, stressing the need of visibility and solidarity. I am convinced that women and men have to support other women to grow, to stand up and to play their role. Together, in friendship,” she concluded.
