Shahbaz Ahmad receives Order of Merit, Tayyab Ikram appointed president of FIH

KARACHI: Legendary Pakistan hockey player Shahbaz Ahmed, also known as Shahbaz Senior, has received the Order of Merit during the 48th Congress of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday.

Shahbaz represented Pakistan for 16 years and is considered as one of the best hockey forwards the sport has ever witnessed.

The 54-year-old, who made over 300 appearances for Pakistan, was named the player of the tournament at both the 1990 World Cup in Lahore and the 1994 World Cup in Sydney. He was also a member of the Pakistan team which bagged the Bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Tayyab Ikram was elected as the new president of the FIH by the congress.

“Of the 126 votes submitted by the member National Associations, Tayyab Ikram attained the required absolute majority of more than half the votes, receiving 79 votes to the 47 given to Marc Coudron (BEL),” the FIH said in a press release.

“The duration of the term of the new FIH President will be of two years in order to complete the mandate of previous FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra who resigned on 18 July,” it added.

Speaking on this occasion, Ikram vowed to work for the betterment of international hockey during his tenure.

“Hockey is my passion, hockey has changed my life and I’m thankful to hockey and the hockey family for this. I express my gratitude to all of you for the confidence you’ve given me today. I promise you that I will carry the message of solidarity and bring the FIH together,” Ikram said.

The delegates also joined a conference titled ‘Stronger Together’ during the congress, which was held virtually, where major topics such as fan engagement, innovation, sustainability, development or governance were discussed.

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