After a seven week hiatus, the Hockey World League returns to the top of the agenda with two competitions running simultaneously in the Caribbean city of Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad & Tobago. Six women’s teams and four men’s teams will be battling it out over seven intense days in the hope of securing a place in the second phase of the tournament.
Bermuda’s Donovan Simmons will be officiating in the Men’s Tournament.
The Men’s competition will be contested between four teams, with top ranked Chile (25) facing challenges from Trinidad & Tobago (34), Barbados (47) and Venezuela (57). The two highest finishers in the round robin tournament will claim their place in Round 2 of the Hockey World League.
After two consecutive Bronze Medal winning performances at the Pan American Games (2007 & 2011), it is hardly a surprise that Chile are rightly considered favorites to take claim top spot in Port of Spain. In Jan Richter they have a player who is a proven scorer from penalty corners, having claimed a six goal haul at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and Venezuela all have ambitions to reach the second phase, and will be determined to cause an upset over the coming week.
The Men’s competition in Port of Spain is the sixth HWL Round 1 event to take place so far, with Poland, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Ireland, Austria, Egypt, Scotland and Portugal winning through to Round 2 with strong performances at respective events in Prague (Czech Republic), Singapore, Cardiff (Wales), Accra (Ghana) and Lousada (Portugal). The next stop on the men’s Hockey World League circuit is San Diego, where host nation USA take on Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Mexico. The event begins on 16th of November and runs for three days.
The Hockey World League has been developed by the FIH to present hockey at its best whilst also providing rapidly improving hockey nations with a stage to show what they are capable of. The tournament has four rounds which take place between August 2012 and February 2013, with each round acting as a qualifier for the next. This process gives every team the potential reach the tournament final. The Hockey World League also acts as the qualification competition for the FIH World Cups which take place in 2014, with 12 qualification places up for grabs.
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