Included in the paper are details involved in setting up a new competition, from the method and timing of entry through to the final of the World League. What is confirmed is that a total of 62 men’s teams and 51 women’s teams have entered the new competition.
On the men’s side the entered countries are: (listed by continent)
Africa: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda
Asia: Bangladesh, Brunei, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, UAE, Uzbekistan
Europe: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu
Pan America: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, United States
And for the women, the entries include:
Africa: Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda
Asia: Brunei, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Uzbekistan
Europe: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu
Pan America: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, United States
Depending on the FIH World Ranking, teams may receive byes for certain rounds. Based on the FIH World Ranking at the time that countries entered, the following teams have received byes
Men
Byes to Round 2 India, Canada, Argentina, South Africa, Belgium, China, Malaysia, Japan
Byes to Round 3 Australia, Germany, Netherlands, England, Spain, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan
Women
Byes to Round 2 Japan, Spain, India, South Africa, USA, Azerbaijan, Ireland, Chile
Byes to Round 3 Argentina, Netherlands, Germany, China, England, Australia, New Zealand, Korea
Details of the exact format and regulations for the World League will be published shortly after the Executive Board meeting in November.
The FIH will be contacting potential hosts shortly to agree the dates and venues of the Round1 and Round 2 tournaments, which are scheduled to take place next year following the 2012 Olympics.
FIH President Leandro Negre said “I am delighted by the fact that 62 of FIH’s members have entered this new global competition and also by the number of countries who have put forward their names to host tournaments. This shows that there is a great appetite for international hockey competition. I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the Competitions Committee, who have spent many hours going through the complex issues raised to get this new and exciting competition off the ground.”
