Unfortunately, however, and sadly for hockey fans all over the Americas (and elsewhere in the world), the field hockey competition broadcast will be very limited (semi-finals and Finals only) and there will not be any on-line streaming…
This deeply disappointing news has started to spread in the last few weeks and has triggered surprised and angry comments from the field hockey community. Fans are now used to following international competitions from around the world, sometimes on TV, more often on their computer. How is it possible that our continental quadrennial flagship competition, a direct Olympic Qualifier, will have limited broadcast, and not be streamed?
In the Pan American Games, PAHF only controls the technical aspect of the competition, just like the FIH only controls the field-of-play at the Olympic Games. Everything else is dictated by the “Franchise Holders” (IOC for the Olympics, Pan Am Sports for the Pan American Games) and by the Organizing Committee. Everything else, including the broadcast rights…
Pan Am Sports contracted Brazilian company Record TV to be the “Host Broadcaster”, meaning they are in charge of producing the raw TV feed from the various venues. These feeds are in turn sold to those broadcasting companies which have paid the broadcast rights. It is then up to the authorized national broadcasters to pick up the feed and include it in their programming.
As before the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, PAHF has tried for months to resolve the situation. PAHF President Alberto “Coco” Budeisky had numerous discussions with the Organizing Committee, Pan Am Sports and Record TV, offering to pay for the production of on-line streaming. But in the end, PAHF had to accept that there are too many financial and legal obstacles, and no possible reconciliation between our desire to showcase our sport and the financial interests at stake.
PAHF deeply regrets this situation. We will have an extended Communications team on-site in Lima (three experienced communications officers and a dedicated photographer) in an effort to cover the hockey competitions on the PAHF web site and social media channels, as much as possible, given the constraints of a multisport event such as the Pan American Games.
For more information on the PAHF competitions and programs, please visit the Pan American Hockey Federation web site at www.panamhockey.org
The Pan American Field Hockey Federation is recognized by the FIH as the governing continental federation for all field hockey in the Pan American region. There are 30 member Nations of the PAHF. For more information please contact info@panamhockey.org
