Olympic Capital to welcome FIH’s first ever senior World Hockey5s event

The Lausanne based International Hockey Federation (FIH) will organise its first ever senior World Hockey5s event on 4 and 5 June 2022 at Place de la Navigation in the Olympic Capital. The ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’ promises an exciting mix of intense competition, music entertainment and additional activities, such as initiations to showcase hockey and engage further with the public. Access will be free of charge, without prior registration, and the event will be broadcasted live across the world on the Watch.Hockey platform.

Five male and five female national teams, including some of the powerhouses of international hockey, will compete in this innovative, super-fast and action-packed format:

India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Switzerland (Men)

India, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, Uruguay (Women)

FIH CEO Thierry Weil says about the value of Hockey5s:

“Hockey5s – which, as its name suggests, is played with 5 athletes in each team – is a shorter format, with the ball almost permanently in play and more goals. It really is extremely exciting and probably appeals even more than the traditional format (with 11 players) to the youth. Also, Hockey5s is played on a smaller pitch, which enables to bring hockey to people in new and unexpected venues, sometimes even in the heart of cities. This ‘urban’ aspect is also very interesting for the development of the sport. Importantly, we see Hockey5s as a complement to the traditional format. It’s a great format on its own, and also a perfect pathway to 11-a-side hockey.”

Asked about FIH’s motivation to bring this event to Lausanne Olympic Capital, Thierry Weil says: “To a great extent, the answer lies in the question. Lausanne is the Olympic Capital and as we are launching the worldwide promotion of Hockey5s – a format of hockey which, we strongly believe, shall boost the promotion and therefore the growth of hockey – we thought that Lausanne is the perfect place to start this really important project for us! Furthermore, both the city of Lausanne and the canton of Vaud are providing us a great support for the organisation of this event and, on behalf of FIH, I’d like to thank them wholeheartedly.”

Swiss hockey players Carina Zimmermann and Sebastian Schneider are also enthusiastic about welcoming the world at the ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’ event:

“It’s going to be great to play against teams like India or Pakistan”, Sebastian says.

Carina is hoping for a strong home support: “I expect a lot of fans cheering for us!”. And she adds: “It will be intense games!”

Played in about 70 countries in the world, Hockey5s was the most attended sport at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with no less than 200’000 spectators. Malaysia, one of the three Asian nations – with India and Pakistan – participating in the upcoming ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’, made Hockey5s history by winning the men’s Gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. But this was four years ago and now team captain Nabil Noor is focused on the upcoming matches in Switzerland: “The environment is different from 11-a-side hockey. The game is so fast! We need to focus on using the perimeter boards to our advantage.”

Pakistani players Waqar Younis and Murtaza Yaqoob are also excited about this event. “People enjoy Hockey5s because the game is faster and more goal-scoring. They will really enjoy this event!”, says Murtaza.

Thierry Weil provides some more insights to fans, spectators and the international teams what to expect: “Beyond the competitive aspect with some of the powerhouses of international hockey, one major objective of this event is to promote - or even introduce - the intensity, speed, skills and fun of hockey to everyone. As such, a hockey initiation will be offered to the public throughout both days. And since the festive atmosphere is a key ingredient for success, a DJ music programme will entertain fans during the whole event. Furthermore, ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’ is the precursor of a Hockey5s World Tour which we intend to launch in the near future.”

Got curious? Visit the event page to learn more and just pass by Place de la Navigation on 4 and 5 June 2022 to watch some great hockey action.