THE HISTORY OF FIH & HOCKEY

The origins of hockey can be traced back almost 4’000 years, with historical references found in Iran, Egypt and Greece.

The birth of modern hockey and drafting of the first rules of the game was in the United Kingdom in 1876, following the establishment of the first clubs, Blackheath Club (est. 1849) and Teddington Hockey Club (est. 1871).

Hockey debuted at the Games of the 4th Olympiad in London, England in 1908, with England, France, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and Wales competing in the Olympic Men`s Hockey competition.

Hockey has been present in all but two (1912 & 1924) Summer Olympic Games since 1908 with 45 nations competing on one or more occasions.

Nine nations have won gold in the history of the Games, dominated by India, who have been Champions on 8 occasions, including a 38 year reign from 1928 until 1960

The Fédération Internationale de Hockey sur Gazon (FIH) was founded on 7 January 1924 by Paul Léautey (FRA). He would later become the first president of the FIH, called together seven National Associations (Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain and Switzerland) to form the sport’s international governing body.

In 1927, the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations (IFWHA) was formed with 8 founding National Associations (Australia, Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa & USA with Catherine Gaskell (GBR) as its first president.

The inaugural event took place at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain, with ten participating nations (Pakistan, Spain, India, Kenya, France, Holland, Federal Republic of Germany, Australia, Japan and Argentina). Pakistan were crowned champions with Spain and India taking second and third places respectively.

The inaugural event was held in Mandelieu, France, with ten participating nations (India, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Mexico, West Germany, Argentina, France, Austria and Switzerland). The Netherlands won the title defeating Argentina in the final with West Germany coming third.

Artificial “nylon” turf was introduced at the hockey event of the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games, and has replaced natural grass in most elite hockey events ever since then.

Women’s hockey is included for the first time in the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games, following the decision taken in October 1974 by the International Olympic Committee. Both Men`s and Women`s events have remained in the Games since then.

In 1982, a few years after celebrating their respective Golden Jubilees, the FIH (1974) and the IFWHA (1977) came together to form the current FIH.

The inaugural edition was held in February 2003, in Leipzig, Germany. The host nation Germany were champions in both the men's and women's events. Poland and France were placed 2nd and 3rd in the Men`s event with The Netherlands then France in the women`s event.

The new format of hockey was introduced at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games for the first time and has been part of the YOG since then.

The FIH Hockey Pro League – “Hockey at its Best!” – is the annual global League involving hockey’s best national teams in the world, Men and Women.

The best team of the season – having accumulated the highest number of points at the end of the League – is crowned Champion and receives the coveted FIH Hockey Pro League Trophy.

Oman was selected to host the inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Cup (16 teams Men and Women) played in January 2024. Matches took place in Oman’s capital city, Muscat.