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ROURKELA: Penalty corners are one of the most appealing parts of watching a game of hockey. But penalty corner (PC) shots called drag-flicks, often unleashed at speeds in excess of 150kmph, can also lead to serious injuries for the defenders who rush head on towards the player taking the drag-flick or stay in the line of the shot. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is looking at ways to add a layer or two of safety to those set pieces.
The new FIH president, Tayyab Ikram, met the media in Rourkela on Sunday on the sidelines of the ongoing Men’s Hockey World Cup at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium and shared his views on the issue.
Ikram said that review of players’ safety during PCs is an ongoing process and that the FIH is also “going to start some experiments”.
“It is at this moment under study,” said the FIH chief. “The first thing, which is the priority for us, is the athletes’ safety. “We are working on that. We are also going to start some experiments for that.”
The first of such experiments was trialled during the 2021 Junior Men’s World Cup, when the players were allowed to keep their penalty-corner defence equipment on, as long as the ball was in play and inside the 23-metre line.
“Rule 4.2 has been changed to allow for defending players using Penalty Corner protective equipment to continue to play the ball outside the circle after an interception during the taking of a penalty corner. Players can now continue to run with the ball while keeping their protective equipment on but they must remove that same equipment immediately after, at the first opportunity to do so, and always inside the 23m area,” FIH Sport Director Jon Wyatt had said in January last year.
“This has been introduced to protect athlete safety so that the focus can be on the ball and the play, and not on removing protective equipment during a pressurised defensive situation,” Wyatt added.
In May last year, the FIH also launched a consultation drive called the ‘Future of Penalty Corner’ inviting the sport’s various stakeholders to participate and give their views on how players’ safety can be enhanced during PCs.
“The main thing is the high-intensity and speed of the ball, mainly the skill developed on drag-flick and the speed it produces,” Ikram told the media in Rourkela. “We are not going to reduce the speed but try coaching (methods) to provide a little bit more time for the defenders to react.”
Besides the drag-flick, FIH’s safety concerns are also about shots taken amid a crowd of players during a penalty-corner routine. But while experiments may take place in the near future, possibly during the Pro League matches, the rules around penalty corners won’t be changed until after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The new FIH president, Tayyab Ikram, met the media in Rourkela on Sunday on the sidelines of the ongoing Men’s Hockey World Cup at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium and shared his views on the issue.
Ikram said that review of players’ safety during PCs is an ongoing process and that the FIH is also “going to start some experiments”.
“It is at this moment under study,” said the FIH chief. “The first thing, which is the priority for us, is the athletes’ safety. “We are working on that. We are also going to start some experiments for that.”
The first of such experiments was trialled during the 2021 Junior Men’s World Cup, when the players were allowed to keep their penalty-corner defence equipment on, as long as the ball was in play and inside the 23-metre line.
“Rule 4.2 has been changed to allow for defending players using Penalty Corner protective equipment to continue to play the ball outside the circle after an interception during the taking of a penalty corner. Players can now continue to run with the ball while keeping their protective equipment on but they must remove that same equipment immediately after, at the first opportunity to do so, and always inside the 23m area,” FIH Sport Director Jon Wyatt had said in January last year.
“This has been introduced to protect athlete safety so that the focus can be on the ball and the play, and not on removing protective equipment during a pressurised defensive situation,” Wyatt added.
In May last year, the FIH also launched a consultation drive called the ‘Future of Penalty Corner’ inviting the sport’s various stakeholders to participate and give their views on how players’ safety can be enhanced during PCs.
“The main thing is the high-intensity and speed of the ball, mainly the skill developed on drag-flick and the speed it produces,” Ikram told the media in Rourkela. “We are not going to reduce the speed but try coaching (methods) to provide a little bit more time for the defenders to react.”
Besides the drag-flick, FIH’s safety concerns are also about shots taken amid a crowd of players during a penalty-corner routine. But while experiments may take place in the near future, possibly during the Pro League matches, the rules around penalty corners won’t be changed until after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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