No increase in teams for junior men’s World Cup next year, FIH president Tayyab Ikram

FIH president Tayyab Ikram said, there would be no increase in the number of teams for the next for the next junior men’s hockey World Cup.

At a media interaction here on Saturday, Ikram said “there were more countries who are liking the idea of 24 teams,” he said.

The senior category, according to him, will continue to have 16 teams. “For the Senior World Cup, we need to look at different aspects. If you ask me today, we are not ready yet [to increase the number of teams],” he said.

The junior men’s World Cup in Chennai and Madurai, for the first time, featured a female umpire. Ikram confirmed it’s a part of the FIH policy for women empowerment and gender parity. “FIH was one of the first Federations to have gender equality policy,” he said.

He was also satisfied with the hosting facilities offered by Tamil Nadu. “FIH will be very happy to come back here. I think we have a very good partner in them. Their approach to sport is player-centric” he added.