K. ARUMUGAM
The first FIH Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup was held in Versailles, France, in 1979. There have been 12 editions of the tournament staged with the last one at Bhubaneswar, India, in 2021. Players under-21 years of age on December 31 in the year before the Junior World Cup are eligible to compete.
·Germany have won most titles with six. India and Argentina come next with two. Pakistan, Australia and Argentina have won one title each. The first Junior World Cup was won by Pakistan who beat (West) Germany in the final 2-0. Germany then won four titles in a row (1982 Kuala Lumpur, 1985 Vancouver, 1989 Ipoh and Terrassa 1993). Australia won at Milton Keynes 1997, India at Hobart 2001 and Argentina at Rotterdam 2005 before Germany returned to the top podium at Johor-Bahru-Singapore 2009 and New Delhi 2013. India then won their second title at Lucknow 2016.
Germany has won at least medal in every edition except once when it finished sixth in 2005. Australia comes next with 6 medals (1G, 3 S, 2 Br).
·India is the only host nation to have won the Junior World Cup, doing so at Lucknow 2016 when they beat Belgium in the final 2-1. As a matter of fact, India are the only nation to win a medal of any colour as hosts.
Victorious Indian JR World Cup team 2016
·The 1985 Junior World Cup was played in an indoor facility in Vancouver, Canada. The venue was a large dome in which the entire stadium was covered by a roof.
·With the exception of the first Junior World Cup at Versailles in 1979 which was held on natural grass, all editions of the tournament have been played on artificial surfaces.
·India’s 6-1 win over Argentina at Hobart 2001 is the largest victory in the final of the Junior World Cup. Germany’s win over Australia at Ipoh 1989 is the closest final in the tournament’s history, the contest going into the tie-breaker (1-1, 4-2).
·Pakistan and Germany are the only nations to hold the Senior and Junior World Cup titles simultaneously. Pakistan did the double at Versailles in 1979 (after the seniors triumphed at Beunos Aires 1978). Germany did likewise at Johor Bahru-Singapore in 2009 (after Monchengladbach 2006).
Malaysia hosts the Jr World Cup third time after the hosting it first in 1982 (KL) and then seven years later at Ipoh in 1989.
India too hosted the Jr World Cup thrice (2013, 2016, 2021), first country to host continuously so.