Five nations along with India have placed their bid infront of the International Hockey Federation to host the 2018 Hockey World Cup.
Apart from India, the other countries to bid are England, Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand, all vying for a chance to host both the men and women’s World Cup which are to be held simaltaneously.
According to a FIH statement, four official proposals to host the men’s World Cup have been made, with a further three submissions being made for the women’s tournament.
The deadline of submission of the official bid questionnaires was August 31, as part of the bidding process requested by FIH.
However the process does not end here as the next phase will feature the detailed evaluation of each bid. It is a lengthy process which will be followed by further discussions and clarifications with NAs which also includes site visits to each and every country.
The final decision will rest with the FIH Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland and the winning bids will be announced on November 7.
India had last hosted the World Cup in 2010 before the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
This is the first time when both the men’s and women’s category will feature sixteen nations, more than any other World Cup, which will do a world of good to the growing interest and development of the sport.
The Rabobank Hockey World Cup, to be held next year in The Hague, Netherlands, in the month of June, will see twelve nations participate in both the men’s and women’s category.