FIH’s ‘Fit for the Future’ Forum Commits World Hockey to a New Roadmap as the 50th Congress Opens Saturday
On the eve of its biggest week in years, world hockey stopped to talk about the future. And the message out of Doha was blunt: the record numbers are nice, but they’re a starting point, not a destination.
Friday’s Fit for the Future Forum brought national association delegates together ahead of Saturday’s 50th FIH Statutory Congress. Two things were on the table: the IOC’s Fit for the Future initiative, introduced by the IOC and its president Kirsty Coventry, and Made For Hockey 2032+, the new strategic framework for global hockey that goes before Congress for approval tomorrow.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram opened it and didn’t waste time. “The sporting landscape is evolving rapidly, and we must remain vigilant, adaptable and ambitious if we are to continue moving forward,” he said. He praised the World Cup’s record viewership — more than 403 million TV viewers — then asked whether it was enough. “No,” he said. “They are not a destination, but a starting point.”
The strongest line was about athletes. Hockey’s players are “at the very heart of everything we do,” Ikram said, calling for them to have a stronger voice and for their welfare to sit at the centre of every decision. For a sport where the athletes’ committee has often felt like a box-ticking exercise, that’s worth holding him to.
Who was in the room
The plenary panel was a genuinely heavyweight one, moderated by FIH Director General Mike Joyce: Ikram alongside Hockey Australia president Sally Carbon, Dutch association president Erik Klein Nagelvoort, South African Hockey Association president Deon Morgan, FIH board member Maureen Craig-Rousseau and Chile’s Andrés de Witt. The topics were the ones hockey keeps circling: making the sport more accessible, reaching beyond the traditional hockey community, and making athletes and fans enjoy the show more.
The second panel looked back as much as forward, marking 50 years since artificial turf arrived at the Montreal 1976 Olympics. Sport Group’s Paul Kamphuis moderated, with board members Katrin Kauschke and Camila Caram (who also co-chairs the athletes’ committee), African Hockey Federation vice-president Nii Quaye Kumah, Oman’s Shakir Munir and Sport Group’s Richard Tattershaw.
Then came the outside voice. Jonny Murch, CEO of sports marketing agency Redtorch, gave a presentation called “The World Has Moved” — an independent, cross-sport look at what hockey has to do to stay relevant and appealing to the next generation. Workshops followed on the real substance: putting athletes first, growing the fanbase, elevating the event experience, empowering national associations and getting more people playing.
What happens next
Saturday is the main event: the 50th FIH Statutory Congress, followed by a post-Congress press conference at 4pm Doha time (6pm PKT). Made For Hockey 2032+ goes before the membership there, and whatever Congress decides will set the direction of the sport for the next six years.
For our money, the right question isn’t whether the framework sounds good — it does — it’s what actually changes by the time the next World Cup rolls around. The athletes’ voice line, in particular, deserves watching. Congress will tell us how serious all this is.
Related: Hockey’s Big Week in Doha: Elections, an Awards Night, and One Vote That Matters, FIH Board Backs New Strategic Framework in Doha as Congress Week Builds, Argentina’s Night in Doha: Cairó and Domene Crowned FIH Players of the Year, International Events
