The Asian Hockey Federation is pleased to announce that it has entered an agreement with the iSR Academy with the purpose of establishing a mutually beneficial cooperation in order to enhance the activities of the AHF in the area of athlete career development and career transition and to promote the iSR Academy, its programmes and activities.
AHF CEO Tayyab Ikram and Adam Pengilly, iSR Academy Director and IOC Member, formally signed the Memorandum of Understanding that documents the cooperation at the Olympic Hockey Centre in Rio de Janeiro during the Olympic Games last month.
The iSR Academy, based in Seoul, Republic of Korea, established by the International Sports Relations (iSR) Foundation and sponsored by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the government of the Republic of Korea, is an initiative to help and support elite athletes to prepare for a successful transition after competitive sporting careers.
Under the agreement, the AHF will recommend hockey athletes to the iSR Academy as participants in the iSR Academy's education and development programmes, and will provide internship places for iSR Academy students.
The first iSR Academy student joining the AHF team for an internship shortly, will be Ma Yibo, former captain of the Chinese women’s hockey team, triple Olympian and Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist, who recently completed her studies at the iSR Academy.
Additionally, the two organizations have agreed to exchange invitations to personnel and students for lectures, visits and participation in conferences and seminars, as well as to explore further possibilities for collaboration on activities and projects in the future.
AHF CEO Tayyab Ikram said, “The Asian Hockey Federation is delighted to enter into this innovative cooperation agreement with the iSR Academy, whose mission we wholeheartedly endorse. This MoU opens up interesting possibilities for retiring and retired Asian hockey athletes, and strengthens the AHF’s endeavours to not only support and promote athletes during their active years, but also offer opportunities and support for career development and transition. I am very much looking forward to a fruitful cooperation between our organizations in the coming years.”
Asian Hockey Federation President HRH Prince Abdullah Ahmad Shah said, “The cooperation with the iSR is an exciting new project for the Asian Hockey Federation, and a step forward in our efforts to develop a network of strong partnerships to better serve all our stakeholders. I am pleased that this agreement has been concluded, and will enjoy seeing this partnership implemented in the near future.”
This is in line with one of the four main goals of the FIH's 10 year Hockey Revolution strategy - to increase the degree of professionalism within the game. To read more about the Hockey Revolution, click here.
For more information about the iSR Academy, please visit the website www.isracademy.org
