2018 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 

For decades our sport was lacking one of the greatest hockey partners in the world, Russia. The 2017 WC featured the first Russian team (5vs5) at an international competition since 1996, which was at that time nothing more than a collection of old-timers engaging in some fun. The new version, 21 years later, was a young, fit and eager full squad that wen on to capture the gold medal in the B-Pool.

2018 was the coming of age of Russian ball hockey, hosting its first international event in the sport. In a town just outside of Moscow, days before the World Cup of Football, history was in the making. As expected, the men’s team was much improved and provided flashes of what is to come for this nation. The real surprise came from the Russian women’s team that stunned the ball hockey world with their shoot-out win in the gold medal final. The men’s final was captured by the Czech Republic in a thrilling match over Canada.

In the picturesque town of Nitra, Slovakia, the headline story of the World Juniors was the addition of U20-Girls and U14-Boys divisions for the 2018 event. The expansion was well received by the participating athletes and the calibre of play merits permanent inclusion in future years. Several other interesting stories emerged with a Swedish based team competing for the first time at a WJC, albeit with some local player assistance, as well as the continued participation of Hungary in multiple levels, proving the game is taking hold there. The biggest WJC news was the Slovak medal haul, which included gold in two age groups, in particular a spectacular overtime win in the U20-Boys over reigning champion Canada.

The Masters is rapidly evolving into a highly demanded annual event. Usti hosted a memorable championship that featured the home town Czech team capturing the gold medal. The momentum building in this age division has resulted in a 2019 commitment for a Masters WC in Canada. The true spirit of the sport lives in the young but grows ever larger in the Masters.

CHINA

After several years of effort, the WBHF has succeeded in partnering with an organization dedicated to bringing our sport to the masses through the China school system. September will bring the launch of an 18-school pilot project in Beijing, with hopes of expanding cross country in 2019. Program leader, Cindy Zheng, deserves a great deal of credit for her vision and ability to deliver on it. Through its Learn To Play program, the WBHF is committed to support these efforts, which have been openly adopted by the Chinese Winter Olympic Committee as an ideal approach to introduce hockey at the grassroots level. We can not only expect participation of Chinese teams at future WBHF championships, but also the very real likelihood of either an official Asian Continental Championship or a full blown World Championship in the near future.

INDIA

The official India Ball Hockey Federation has been newly registered with members of the India Olympic Association at the helm. Their attendance at upcoming WBHF events will mark the first time ever that India based teams will compete internationally.  With China, India and Russia, the WBHF now boasts the three most populated nations of Asia as the cornerstones of the Eastern hemisphere. What is critically important with each is the relationship with their respective national sports organizations, hockey and/or Olympic. It is this foundation that garners well for sustained growth of ball hockey in Asia.

EUROPEAN EXPANSION

The WBHF’s patient approach of working with key organizations in sport has helped build its global credibility. Choosing the right partners is vital to the strength of our federation. An upcoming new partnership will bring nation based members in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden. More exciting news on this partnership will follow in October with the launch of plans for 2019.