International Hockey Federation

The International Field Hockey Federation (Fédération Internationale de Hockey sur Gazon, or FIH) is the global governing body of field hockey. Its headquarters are located in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The FIH was founded on January 7, 1924 in Paris by Paul Léautey, who became the first president, in response to field hockey's omission from the programme of the 1924 Summer Olympics. The seven founding members were Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain and Switzerland. The FIH soon grew to have many members and achieve international recognition. In 1982, the FIH merged with the IFWHA (International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations), which had been founded in 1927 by Australia, Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, the United States and Wales.

The organisation is based in Lausanne since 2005, having moved from Brussels. The current president is Leandro Negre from Spain, who was elected on November 29, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

Member associations

The FIH consists of five continental associations and 127 member associations, in cooperation to promote and develop the sport. Geographically, there are 17 from Africa, 30 from Asia, 45 from Europe, 9 from Oceania and 26 from the Americas.

Competitions

The FIH organises the five major international field hockey events, including the Indoor World Cup which was introduced in 2003:

• Olympic Games in cooperation with International Olympic Committee
• Hockey World...... ...
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