As mentioned previously 4 of the top seeded teams are Euro does this mean that we will continue to see a European domination of the FIH?
This may not in fact continue through 2015 and beyond.
If you examine the rankings closely from the position 6 through 16, you see Asia is fast moving up in the pack. We already are aware of India and Pakistan.
But if you look, you’ll see Korea, Malaysia, South Africa, and Japan in the mix.
With the FIH big event held in Kuala Lumpur in 2012, you can see that Malaysia is poised to come off the blocks in a big way.
Their economy is expanding geometrically and they are rising to be a predominated power in the Pacific Rim Challenging India, China, and Japan as the dominant player in the region.
They are putting money into their infrastructure at a phenomenal rate and the standard of living is becoming one of the highest as well in the region.
So you ask what has this to do with the FIH.
If you follow the money, you’ll see it is going to support public entertainment and national prestige activities. Which Hockey is one along with Football, and Cricket.
More money means better players and gear equals more wins in matches and moving up the ranks to ensure a World cup seat.
This prediction is no idle chatter. Look at the history of the rankings, as they are all available at the FIH web page. http://www.fih.ch/rankings/outdoor/
You see a pattern developing and it will be interesting to see where it goes in the next few months.
2015/2016 will be banner years for Field Hockey in the Pacific Rim region and may decline a bit in the Eurozone and the more developed countries.
There is a shift coming and the rankings show it.
It’s interesting how the world events are mirrored in sports.
China set the president in 2008 as it broke through the barrier and became the world’s factory. At the same time, it put on a lavish display at the 2008 Olympics. As its economic power increase it hopes to do the same in 2022.
However, recent events have marred their vision and Malaysia is picking up the slack using the same methodology that the Chinese themselves used.
China has slowed and some feel the ride is over and things are shifting to Malaysia as the new center of economic power.
World Hockey is just a barometer of these events. The FIH leadership is aware of this and has shifted its focus to the Pacific Rim as Well.
Australia and New Zealand are high in the rankings and this too is a reflection of the shifts in the world.
So, is it you have a better team that brings you to the top or that your home country’s economics has to do with you fielding a winning team?
This and other questions remain unanswered as went move deeper into 2015 and beyond. Though the recent FIFA problems could shed some light on what’s happening if ever there is a coherent story release on what happened.
However, that is not likely to happen for some time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_FIFA_corruption_case