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Hockey World Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hockey World Cup, sometimes called the Hockey World Championships, is an international field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The tournament was started in 1971. It is held every four years, bridging the four years between the Summer Olympics.
There is also a Women's Hockey World Cup, which has been held since 1974 and was organised by the International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations (IFWHA) until 1981, when the governing bodies merged into the current International Hockey Federation.
Five countries have dominated the event's history. Pakistan is the most successful team, having won the tournament four times. The Netherlands have won three titles, and Germany has won two titles. India and Australia have each won the tournament once.
The 2006 Hockey World Cup was held at the Warsteiner HockeyPark, Mönchengladbach, Germany from September 6 to September 17. Germany won for the second time, defeating Australia 4–3 in the final. The FIH decided to allot the next Hockey World Cup in 2010 to India.[1]
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The Hockey World Cup was first conceived by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan and India's Jimmy Nagarwalla. They proposed their idea to the FIH under the name of Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. Their idea was approved on October 26, 1969, and adopted by the FIH Council at a meeting in Brussels on April 12, 1970. The FIH decided that the inaugural World Cup would be held in October 1971, in Pakistan.
However, political issues would prevent that first competition from being played in Pakistan. Pakistan and India had been at war with each other only six years earlier. When Pakistan invited India to compete in the tournament, a crisis arose. Pakistanis, led by cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar, protested against India's participation in the Hockey World Cup.
In 1971, there was also a civil war (Bangladesh Liberation War) between West Pakistan and East Pakistan, which led to political instability throughout the country. By the end of the year, this led to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 between India and Pakistan.
Given the intense political climate between Pakistan and India, the FIH decided to move the tournament elsewhere. In March 1971, the FIH decided to move the first Hockey World Cup to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain, which was considered a neutral and peaceful European site. [2]
The FIH has set no requirements or limitations on the size of the competition. The 1971 Cup included only ten nations, the smallest World Cup to date. The 1978 Cup featured fourteen nations. The 2002 Cup featured sixteen nations, the largest World Cup to date.
The first three tournaments were held every two years. The 1978 Cup was the only tournament held three years from the previous tournament. Since 1982, the tournament has been held every four years, halfway between the Summer Olympics field hockey competition.
The Hockey World Cup trophy was designed by the Bashir Moojid and created by the Pakistani Army. On March 27, 1971, in Brussels, the trophy was formally handed to FIH President Rene Frank by Mr H.E Masood, the Pakistani Ambassador to Belgium. The trophy consists of a silver cup with an intricate floral design, surmounted by a globe of the world in silver and gold, placed on a high blade base inlaid with ivory. At its peak is a model hockey stick and ball. Without its base, the trophy stands 120.85 mm high. Including the base, the trophy stands 650 mm. It weighs 11,560 g, including 895 g of gold, 6815 g of silver, 350 g of ivory and 3500 g of teak. [3]
The Hockey World Cup consists of a qualification stage and a final tournament stage. The format for each stage is the same.
The qualification stage has been a part of the Hockey World Cup since 1977. All participating teams play in the qualification round. The teams divide into two or more pools and compete for a berth in the final tournament. The top two teams are automatically qualified and the rest of the berths are decided in playoffs.
The final tournament features the continental champions and other qualified teams. Sometimes it also features the winners of the Summer Olympics' hockey competition or the continental runners-up. The teams divide into pools once more and play a round robin tournament. The composition of the pools is determined using the current world rankings. The top two teams in each pool play in the semifinals for a place in the final. The bottom two teams in the semifinals have a third place playoff. The rest of the teams have playoffs to determine their final positions. If they are third or fourth in their pool, they play for fifth place; if they are fifth or sixth in their pool, they play for ninth place.
Twenty-four teams have qualified for a Hockey World Cup. Of these, eleven teams have made it to the semifinals. Seven teams have made it through to the finals. To date, Pakistan has been the most successful team in the World Cup, with four titles and six appearances in the final. The Netherlands have also been successful, with three titles and five appearances in the final.
Germany has been the most successful team in the World Cup in recent years. They won the tournament in 2002 and 2006. In addition, Germany has reached the semifinals in every World Cup except for the inaugural tournament in 1971.
Below is a list of teams that have finished in the top four positions in the tournament:
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Third-place | Fourth-place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pakistan |
4 (1971, 1978, 1982, 1994) | 2 (1975, 1990*) | 1 (1973) | |
 Netherlands |
3 (1973*, 1990, 1998*) | 2 (1978, 1994) | 1 (2002) | 1 (1982) |
 Germany |
2 (2002, 2006*) | 1 (1982) | 4 (1973, 1975, 1986, 1998) | 3 (1978, 1990, 1994) |
 Australia |
1 (1986) | 2 (2002, 2006) | 4 (1978, 1982, 1990, 1994*) | 1 (1998) |
 India |
1 (1975) | 1 (1973) | 1 (1971) | |
 Spain |
2 (1971*, 1998) | 1 (2006) | ||
 England |
1 (1986*) | |||
 Korea |
2 (2002, 2006) | |||
 Kenya |
1 (1971) | |||
 Malaysia |
1 (1975*) | |||
 Soviet Union# |
1 (1986) |
- * = host
- # = no longer in existence
Nine nations have hosted the Hockey World Cup. Only the Netherlands (1973 and 1998) and Germany (2006) have won the tournament as hosts. Spain, England, and Pakistan emerged as host runners-up in the 1971, 1986 and 1990 tournaments. Australia placed third when it hosted the 1994 tournament in Sydney.
To date, the finals of the Hockey World Cup have been contested by Asian, European and Oceania continental teams. Asian and European teams are tied with five titles each. Australia is the only team from Oceania to win the tournament. The Americas is the only continental zone that has not made an appearance in a Hockey World Cup semifinal.
| Continent | Best performance |
|---|---|
| Asian | 5 titles, won by Pakistan (4) and India (1) |
| European | 5 titles, won by Netherlands (3) and Germany (2) |
| Oceania | 1 title, won by Australia |
| African | fourth place (Kenya, 1971) |
| Americas | Sixth place (Argentina, 1986) |
(Total appearances including 2006 tournament.)
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- # = no longer in existence
- ^ India To Host 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ World Cup Hockey. Retrieved on August 2, 2006
- ^ The World Cup - A Masterpiece. Retrieved August 15, 2006
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