As France prepares to host the Olympic Video games Paris 2024, the highlight shines brightly on hockey with a storied previous and a promising future. Hockey at Paris 2024 will probably be performed on the historic Yves-du-Manoir stadium, which, again in 1924, stood because the proud host of the VIII Olympiad, and hockey motion will probably be performed on the identical hallowed grounds the place each athlete stepped foot in the course of the opening ceremony of the video games in 1924.
The recognition of hockey has been steadily rising in France over the previous few a long time. The Fédération Française de Hockey (FFH) has been instrumental in nurturing the game’s progress and professionalising its governance, with the rising anticipation for the upcoming Olympics marking a major milestone within the historical past of hockey in France.
Hockey in France traces its origins again to the early twentieth century. The game was launched by British expatriates and shortly gained recognition amongst French athletes. The primary official membership, Racing Membership de France, was established in 1897, marking the start of organised hockey within the nation.
The Twenties and Nineteen Thirties noticed a surge within the sport’s recognition, with extra golf equipment being shaped and aggressive leagues being established. The French nationwide crew made its debut in worldwide competitions throughout this era, showcasing the nation’s rising expertise and fervour for the sport.
The aftermath of World Warfare II led to a resurgence in French hockey. The FFH, based in 1920, performed an important position in revitalising the game, organising home leagues, and selling hockey on the grassroots degree. The institution of regional golf equipment and the introduction of youth packages helped in figuring out and nurturing younger expertise.
All through the twentieth century, France have been an everyday characteristic on the Olympic Video games, making 9 appearances between 1908 and 1972 within the males’s competitors! The late twentieth century noticed a downtick in efficiency with the boys’s crew making two World Cup appearances, ending in seventh on each events (1971,1990), whereas the ladies’s crew certified for 3 editions, ending seventh (1974), sixth (1976) and ninth (1981).
The early twenty first century noticed France return to its place as an everyday challenger in worldwide hockey. The French males’s and girls’s groups persistently carried out effectively in European championships and World Cup tournaments. Notably, the French males’s crew achieved a quarterfinal look on the 2018 World Cup, of their first look on the occasion after a niche of 28 years!
France’s dedication to excellence is obvious of their state-of-the-art coaching services and strong improvement packages. The FFH’s deal with youth improvement, teaching schooling, feminine participation at grassroots degree, and infrastructure funding has laid a robust basis for the game’s future. Their progress is particularly evident within the junior stage, the place the France males’s junior groups have claimed World Cup medals at three of the previous 4 editions with silver in 2013, bronze in 2021 and one other silver in 2023!
Because the host nation for the 2024 Olympics, France is poised to showcase its wealthy hockey heritage on the world stage. The Stade Yves-du-Manoir has been meticulously renovated to offer a world-class platform for the Olympic hockey occasions. This iconic venue symbolises the game’s enduring legacy and its shiny future in France.
The French nationwide groups, supported by passionate followers, are making ready to make their mark within the Olympics. With a mix of skilled gamers and rising stars, Les Bleus intention to seize the hearts of the nation and convey glory to French hockey.
Emma Ponthieu, captain of the French girls’s crew, spoke concerning the future she hopes to see for hockey in France and stated: “I hope that the Olympic Video games will permit French hockey to develop, to make itself recognized and to draw individuals. It’s a sport that’s nonetheless too little recognized in France and I hope that we’ll make the most of the ‘Olympic wave’ to extend the visibility of our sport.”
Viktor Lockwood, captain of the French males’s crew, added: “The influence on hockey in France will probably be second to none on condition that the final time French hockey was represented within the males’s class was in 1972 in Munich. Additionally, the final time the Olympic Video games have been held in France was 100 years in the past. Subsequently, that is the primary time that hockey will probably be represented on the Olympics by our 2 nationwide groups, and in France!
What’s extra, it’s additionally the primary time that we’ll have a “Clairefontaine” – that’s, like soccer, a nationwide centre for hockey – for us after the Olympics with the stadium at Yves-du-Manoir. A singular alternative! It’s now as much as us (men and women) to make it possible for our performances make it as impactful as potential!”
The Olympic Video games Paris 2024 will probably be performed from 27 July to 9 August. For extra particulars concerning the competitors, go to Olympics.Hockey.
