S2H Team

It’s the adversary on the pitch in addition to the unseen one lurking everywhere. That’s the challenge athletes and teams are compelled to take in their stride when the action begins at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics just days from now.

The scenario was discussed by FIH CEO Thierry Weil who addressed a virtual media conference on Friday and admitted that there are so many ifs and buts to the Olympics this time around caused by the Covid-19 pandemic but was grateful to Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to stage the Games despite the crisis.

The Frenchman took questions on the protocol governing the undesirable possibility of players getting infected at the Games which start on July 23 with the hockey competitions commencing the next day.

 “It will be up to each team to make a decision on whether it can play the next game in case of infection,” Weil said.

“There is no minimum number set for a team to be eligible to play the next game unless it reaches a count which makes it impossible to play a match (based on the rules of play),” he elaborated.

Players getting infected would go into isolation as per safety protocol but an extended squad of 18 as opposed to the standard 16 at the Olympics is expected to give flexibility in these troubled times, the FIH CEO pointed out.

“We have to thank the IOC for the change in regulation which it effected in the wake of the Covid pandemic,” Weil said while praising the apex Olympic body and the government of Japan for staging the Games against all odds.

In addition to two players among the reserves will be a goalkeeper who will replace his/her first-choice colleague in that position in case of injury or any other reason that could rule him/her out of the tournament.

These reserves or “alternative” players would stay in separate accommodation and not in the Olympic Village, the decision and responsibility of which would be that of the respective National Olympic Committees, Weil revealed.

“It would be a second Bio Bubble they would be in and would have to follow strict protocol while moving from one to the other,” the FIH CEO affirmed.

The crucial question of what is usually termed “walkovers” was put under the scanner at the conference.

“There’s much clarity yet to be obtained on the matter,” said Weil who was open in presenting the Covid-19 Sports Specific Regulations (SSR) issued by the IOC applicable to hockey, football, rugby, handball and water polo.

According to the SSR a team whose opponents cannot play a match will be awarded a 5-0 win. If both teams cannot play, the result will be deemed 0-0 but will yield no points for either team.

If at the end of the league phase a team is unable to play the quarterfinals it has qualified for, the next best finisher in the pool will take its place.

During the knockout stages, teams that cannot continue to compete will be considered Did Not Start (DNS) and will be awarded the minimum ranking they have achieved.

After the pool stage is complete and the quarterfinalists are confirmed, in case a team that has qualified for the quarterfinals is not able to participate in a match, if time allows, the next ranked team from their pool will replace them in the quarterfinal. If there isn’t sufficient time (at the sole discretion of the FIH) their opponent will be awarded a 5-0 victory and allowed to proceed to the semi-finals.

If both teams due to play against each other in a semi-final are unable to compete, neither will advance to the final and both teams will be ranked 4 th. In this case, the winner of the other semi-final will be awarded the gold medal and the loser of the other semi-final will be awarded the bronze medal.

If a team withdraws or is unable to participate in the bronze medal match, such a team will not be replaced, and the remaining team is allocated the bronze medal.

If both teams due to play against each other in the bronze medal match are unable to compete, both teams will be awarded a bronze medal.

If a team withdraws or is unable to participate in the final, if there is sufficient time then their opponent from the semi-final will be promoted to the final. In this situation, no bronze medal match will be played and the other losing semi-finalist will be awarded the bronze medal. The withdrawing team will be awarded a silver medal and the loser of the gold medal match will also be awarded a silver medal.

If both teams due to play against each other in the final are unable to compete, both teams will be awarded a gold medal.

A team that is unable to compete or is deemed to have withdrawn from a match or the competition may be subject to further disciplinary action as determined by the FIH Executive board.

Referring to the SSR protocol, Weil said, “It’s not ideal but players would want to play and perform to win a medal rather than being awarded one after losing.”

He concluded that the Tokyo Olympics, devoid of spectators, is going to be very different and will go down in the history books. “But every participant in Tokyo is well aware that the health of the public and their own is at stake and precautions are all important. To have the Games going, even after a year’s postponement, itself is a tremendous achievement by the Japanese government and the IOC,” Weil reiterated.