Subject: New Call for Hosts for the PAHF Youth Championships 2014
PREAMBLE
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) aim to:
1- Bring together talented athletes from around the world to participate in high-level competitions;
2- Educate young athletes at the Youth Olympic Games on the importance of sport for their health and their social integration, and inform them through educational activities about the dangers linked to sport, such as doping, training to excess and/or inactivity;
3- Communicate the Olympic values and the spirit and message of the Youth Olympic Games worldwide, using modern communication channels.
For this Event, the IOC and International Hockey Federation (FIH) have decided to adopt different playing requirements, using a small-sided game for field hockey.
The PAHF Youth Championships is a qualifier for the Youth Olympic Games (Nanjing 2014) in that it will determine the rankings from which two (2) teams in each gender from the PAHF may participate in the YOG. It is an important opportunity for players in the designated age group and teams to start competing in international level.
DATES
The official window for the PAHF Youth Championships per the FIH is 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014, however the PAHF would prefer the event to be held in early February 2014. The ODESUR Games is to be held in early March 2014 and PAHF would like to have a two (2) week gap between the events.
PLAYING REQUIREMENTS
The FIH has released information about the game for the YOG. The following is what is available.
Field of Play
The field is 55 meters long and 41.70 meters wide (or very similar depending on facilities or fields available). Half a full size hockey field can be used. The preferred option is to create a field across the middle of a full size field; it would be possible to create two adjacent fields on a full size field but consideration should be given to safety and interruptions between matches.
Boundary-boards 25 cm high mark the side-lines and back-lines but not the goal-lines. Boards can be made available from a recommended supplier. Alternatively, smaller (e.g. indoor hockey) boards could be used. If the whole field cannot be bounded, the sidelines are the priority. If necessary, the game can be played without boundary boards with the consequence that the ball goes out of play more frequently.
The only field markings are a 50 cm line in the middle of the field and 50 cm lines 11 meters from the center of each back-line. These lines can be temporary (e.g. painted on the surface). If boundary boards are not used, side and back-lines would be required but can be existing field markings.
Standard hockey goals are positioned outside the field of play at the centre of each shorter back-line.
Composition of Teams
A maximum of five players from each team take part in play at any particular time during the match; each team is permitted up to four substitutes. A team is composed of up to nine players.
Players' Clothing and Equipment
Sticks, balls and all other items of equipment are the same as in other forms of hockey.
Match
A match consists of three periods of 15 minutes with an interval of 2 minutes between each period.
Playing Rules
FIH document attached.
ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
The PAHF has prepared a responsibility chart, assuming ONLY ONE FIELD (normal sized) will be used, which will accommodate two small sized fields (as per playing requirements above). This means two games could be played at the same time. The attached chart is for bid purposes only as the final number of officials can only be determined when there are rules published and the FIH determines how the games are to be managed by the appropriate number of officials.
Additionally to the Financial Responsibility, the standard PAHF Contract for Events must be signed by the host National Association. A sample contract is attached.
The PAHF only awards Events to countries that present proper bids, by filling out Bid Forms as proposed by the Competitions Committee (attached). The fundamental idea with this procedure is to provide sufficient information for the PAHF Board of Directors to decide which country will be able to offer the better conditions to organize a specific PAHF Event, to raise the profile of the sport in the host nation and to advance the status of Hockey in the Americas.
The PAHF invites your National Associations to submit their Bid (s) by the 22nd of March, 2013, identifying the preferred dates to:
- Mr. Julio Neves, PAHF Project Co‐ordinator – julio.neves@panamhockey.org
- Mr. Willard Harris, PAHF Competitions Committee Secretary ‐ willardpharris@gmail.com
Attached are the bid documents required. For more information about the PAHF technical, commercial, financial, media and protocol requirements for a host organizer to fulfill, please contact Julio Neves at julio.neves@panamhockey.org. For more details, see the PAHF web‐site, http://www.panamhockey.org/en/administration
Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Julio Neves if you require any further information concerning this request.
Sincerely yours,
CC. Alberto “Coco” Budeisky, Chair Competitions Committee
