Hockey festival likely in August

It is the desire of the Barbados Hockey Federation (BHF) to host its annual hockey festival in the last week of August, says President Mark St. Hill.

With restrictions now eased and national federations given the go-ahead to resume sporting activities, St. Hill said the BHF was hoping by now and August teams would be able to travel and play in the festival. This is providing the government further relaxes the protocols for tourist arrivals.

In a telephone interview with Barbados TODAY, the BHF president explained that there was a bigger picture at play. He said it was not just about the clubs playing in the one-week hockey festival but the need for national players to train and remain competition-ready.

He noted the intention was to get the rust off players in the event that regional and international tournaments that have been postponed or cancelled because of the Coronavirus would be able to be played at a later date.

“We will use the hockey festival to bring the teams back out. The teams are practising, the clubs are holding their own practices. We still have to run it past the executive and players. The reason why we think the festival might be the best way to structure a tournament now, is that first division league or whatever would prove difficult. So we are hoping that by August more of the restrictions would be lifted and we would use the hockey festival as a way to get everybody back out to play.

“Then it also allows us to maintain some commitments to teams that have not cancelled. There are a few teams that are still keen about coming to Barbados in August depending on if quarantine protocols still exist. If it is lifted and the teams can travel and play, there are teams that are interested,” he said.

“That is the current thinking, that we will use the hockey festival to bring some form of competition back to the sport. It would be a somewhat watered down hockey festival considering the protocols put in place. It is more than just being on the pitch, it is the parties after games, the fetes and the limes. So we suspect a lot of that would have to be watered down in keeping with whatever protocols exist,” he added.

Plans for the festival are still at an early stage but between now and the end of August for the tournament, St. Hill said they would see what protocols exist and see if that was a workable solution.

“We don’t think much could happen in July, so therefore we are pushing, saying if the country in this excellent trajectory and borders are open, around the end of August would be the best timing for the hockey festival. But whether borders are open or not, hockey will play with local teams,” St. Hill noted.

While the International Hockey Federation governs the sport globally and will probably give guidelines to member countries during this time on how to proceed with playing matches, St. Hill explained that what matters most was the national protocol.

“The protocols are always changing but what will rank foremost here is the national protocols set by the Government for national sporting teams. Then follow the Barbados Olympic Association protocols that they wish because at the end of the day we are a major affiliate of the BOA.

“We will not do anything that will contravene the FIH (Federation International Hockey) but in terms of clear protocols and standards we would abide by, it is the government of Barbados, National Sports Council and the Barbados Olympic Association. That is who we have to abide by,” St. Hill explained.

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb