Representatives from the leading nations and FIH Executive Board Members congregated today at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, where they met the President of the International Olympic Committee, Mr. Thomas Bach. The unprecedented initiative held under the leadership of FIH President Dato Tayyab Ikram was attended by representatives from India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, England, Spain, Malaysia, Australia, Belgium and Germany, along with key members of the FIH Executive Board. At the end of the summit, on behalf of Hockey India, Secretary General Hockey India Shri Bhola Nath Singh, presented a memento to Mr. Thomas Bach on the completion of the meeting as a token of appreciation for his efforts.
Shri Bhola Nath Singh spoke on the historic initiative, “We discussed numerous important issues on commercial viability, broadcast, gender equality communications and sustainability and engaged with various stakeholders. This is a great initiative by FIH and Dato Tayyab Ikram, to bring us together for an exchange of ideas and engage with Mr. Thomas Bach ahead of the upcoming Olympics.”
At the summit, President of the IOC Mr Thomas Bach also spoke about the various efforts in place ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024. He highlighted that inclusivity was at the forefront and that they will strive to improve gender equality across the spectrum. Furthermore, the Paris Olympics 2024 will have the same number of events for men and women. He also reiterated the importance of sustainability in sports and stated that the Paris Olympics would reduce its carbon footprint by 50% compared to the London Olympics. Finally, he commended Dato Tayyab Ikram for this initiative that brought together the leading nations in a consultative and open process for the development & promotion of Hockey and Olympic sports across the world.
The summit augurs well for Hockey around the world, setting an example of communication and collaboration while focusing on elements such as gender equality, sustainability etc, in pursuit of the growth of the game.
