FIH abandons trial of new penalty corner rule

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Friday said it has decided to “abandon” the trial of the new penalty corner rule as it doesn’t want to tinker much with the existing set piece regulation, a glamour aspect of the sport.

“FIH has decided to put on hold and abandon the new penalty corner rule trial. The format that was being considered during the trial will not be taken into consideration anymore,” FIH president Tayyab Ikram said on the sidelines of the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy.

“But, I have already instructed to have a re-evaluation of further options, and we are in big favour to keep the existing PC rule. If it will be a different change, it would be around the same format, but in more dynamic ways.”

According to the proposed rule, all attackers except the pusher at the backline must start at least five metres outside the striking circle called the ‘D’ which is 12 metres from the goal post.

The ball must travel outside the dotted line, which is five metres beyond the ‘D’ before it can be played back into the striking circle for a shot on goal.

The new rule was being tried out for the safety of PC defenders, which would have given them more time to react to situations while rushing out to defend drag-flicks that are generally struck at a pace of around 150kmph.

But the FIH played cautiously as it knew that the new rule could have spelt the doom for the art of drag-flick.

“In any case, we will not compromise on any measure that would lead to dangerous play and challenge the safety of our athletes. We need to ensure their safety,” Ikram said.

“We want to keep the penalty corner as compact as possible, as it is not only enhancing goal scoring but also giving glamour to our sport. We want to keep it that way,” he continued.

“(But) We will continue to collect data about where the injuries are happening more, whether in the field or during penalty corners,” he concluded.