The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has changed the penalty corners rule, which allows defenders to keep their protective equipment on after the ball has gone out of the circle, international hockey’s regulatory body said in a release on Monday.
“Rule 4.2, Relating to Penalty Corners, has been changed to allow players using penalty corner protective equipment to continue playing the ball outside the circle after an interception while taking a penalty corner. Players can no longer use their own protective equipment.” may continue to run with the ball while the equipment is on, but they must immediately remove the same equipment at the first opportunity to do so and always within the 23 m area,” said FIH Sport Director John Wyatt.
“Any player using PC protective equipment may not play the ball at any time outside the 23-metre zone. It has been introduced to protect athlete safety so that the focus is on the ball and the game, rather than the removal of protective equipment during a pressurized defensive position. It was tested at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar in December 2021, and it got unanimous support from coaches, athletes and officials,” he said.
The FIH has also changed the rules regarding aerial balls.
“Rule 9.10 was changed to allow what is commonly referred to as Aerial Balls. The previous text did not include the possibility for players to safely stop a falling ball, which is now considered a limitation for the development of the game. This was followed by extensive discussions before, during and after the Tokyo Olympic Games, during which a more coherent interpretation and understanding of this element of our sport was agreed upon. “Aerial Balls will be closely monitored by all stakeholders to maintain player safety,” the statement said.
The rules are issued by the FIH Rules Committee (made up of rules experts from the five continental federations) under the authority of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). They are updated normally every two years in January following the Olympic Games or FIH Hockey World Cup. The newly updated rules will be applicable from January 2022 in all international events.
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