sanews

NEWS FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

All copy used on this page has been issued by the SAHA Executive Committee or the office.
Updated 20 January 2001
Please regularly check the Tournaments Results Page, SAHA Press Releases and National Teams' Page for additional news...

	U21 International Series - Programme of Matches	16 January
	The Netherlands - Men's U21 Tour Squad	9 January
	The Netherlands - Women's U21 Tour Squad	9 January
	England Women's U21 Tour Squad	9 January
	Newsletter from the President	6 December
	Castle Lite Annual Hockey Awards	20 November
	Africa Cup for Club Champions	14 November
	Olympic Final Placings	2 October
	Champion of Champions Final Placings	2 October
	SA Juniors Meet France	16 August
	SA/Spain Women's Series	26 July
	Door Not Yet Closed for SA Men's Team	15 May
	Umpires for NEDBANK and SPAR Senior Tournaments	15 May
	Olympics Schedule	9 May
	Provincial Hockey League Cancelled	3 May
	Under 21 Tournaments Final Placings (See Tournament Results	1 May
	Women's Team to go to Argentina (on National Teams Page)	18 April
	Appeal to the International Olympic Committee	12 April
	News from the Men's Four Nations Tournament in Australia	8-14 April
	Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Final Positions	4 April
	Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament and National Team News	20 March
	FIH Refutes Reports of South African hockey Ban	16 March
	FIH Official's Statement and SAHA President's Response	15 March
	Senior Indoor Tournament Final Placings	4 March
	FIH Appointments For SA Officials (Updated 18 April)	2 March
	Indoor Under 21 Results	20 February
	FIH Press Release	14 February
	South African Men Unbeaten in Egypt	19 February
	International Series Results
	GB & Netherlands Women's Teams
	U18 Girls Results
	SA U18 Girls' Team Selected	(on National Teams Page)
	Africa Cup for Club Champions
	News from AGM & Council Meeting 19/20 November
	President Mbeki Honours Top SA Stars
	SA Stars Honoured

Men - Netherlands vs SA at Hartleyvale
Wednesday	17 January	RSA vs Netherlands	18h30
Friday	19 January	RSA vs Netherlands	18h30
Saturday	20 January	RSA vs Netherlands	16h30
Women vs Netherlands & England
Sunday	21 January	RSA vs England	16h00
Monday	22 January	RSA vs Netherlands	18h30
Tuesday	23 January	England vs Netherlands	18h30
Thursday	25 January	Netherlands vs England	18h30
Friday	26 January	RSA vs England	18h30
Saturday	27 January	RSA vs Netherlands	16h00
Monday	29 January	RSA vs England	18h30
Tuesday	30 January	RSA vs England	18h30

THE NETHERLANDS: MEN'S U21 TOUR SQUAD, January 2001

Name	Club	DoB
Klaas Veering	Amsterdam	26/09/81
Thomas Boerma	Kampong	07/05/81
Geert Jan Derikx	KZ	31/10/80
Rob Derikx	Den Bosch	25/08/82
Roger Kempink	SCHC	03/02/80
Rob Reckers	OZ	29/08/81
Lars Stalling	Hurley	04/01/81
Timo Bruinsma	Den Bosch	24/08/82
Matthijs Brouwer	Den Bosch	01/07/80
Taeke Taekema	KZ	14/01/80
Sebastiaan Westerhout	SCHC	25/03/80
Floris Evers	SCHC	26/02/83
Roderick Weusthof	Nijmegen	18/05/82
Mark Becht	Hurley	16/05/80
Mark Neumeijer	Amsterdam	17/12/80
Lodewijk de Bruin	Bloemendaal	25/01/81
Tom van Geel	SCHC	17/03/80
Alexander Robert	Laren	05/05/80
Officials
Pieter Offerman	Coach
Martijn van Westerop	Manager
Thomas Tichelman	Trainer
Floris Idenburg	Doctor
Han Kees Vriesendorp	Physiotherapist

THE NETHERLANDS: WOMEN'S U21 TOUR SQUAD, January 2001

Name	Club	DoB
Jolanda Clemens	Amsterdam	27/04/81
Anne-Maaike Elsen	Nijmegen	02/10/80
Aukje de Groot	Groningen	01/01/80
Belle van Meer
Markje Hoekstra	Laren	04/03/80
Marrit de Jong	Den Bosch	24/11/80
Kim Lammers	Laren	21/04/81
Tineke Maassen	OZ	17/09/80
Terry Noorlander	HGC	10/03/81
Marlieke van der Pas	Rotterdam	18/05/83
Nienke van Ruiten	Rotterdam	08/05/80
Maartje Scheepstra (Capt)	Amsterdam	01/04/80
Lieke Schellekens	Den Bosch	10/01/80
Eliane Schreuder	Rotterdam	27/10/80
Marjolijn Spruijt	Den Bosch	23/11/81
Claire Visser	HGC	16/09/81
Leonoor Voskamp	KZ	20/08/83
Eveline Wisse Smit	Amsterdam	07/03/81
Officials
Maarten Gehner	Coach
Machteld Derks	Manager
Piet Hein Schroder	Trainer
Bart Looije	Trainer
Catrien Nitzsche	Doctor
Dennis Uttien	Physiotherapist

ENGLAND: WOMEN'S U21 TOUR SQUAD, January 2001

Name	Club	DoB
Danni Barnes	Clifton	19/11/81
Clare Gover	Bournemouth	18/01/81
Karen Wells	Bradford	16/04/83
Becky Alltree	Loughborough Uni	25/02/81
Jo Ellis	Ben Rhydding	10/11/83
Helen Richardson (VC)	Leicester	23/09/81
Natalie Bell	Clifton	01/03/82
Kate Walsh (Capt)	Hightown / Brunel Uni	09/05/80
Frances Houslop	Canterbury	04/05/82
Becky Lee Smith	Harleston Magpies	16/09/81
Imogen Robertson	Clifton	02/10/82
Cathy Gilliat-Smith	Loughborough Uni	19/03/81
Julia Sawkings	Leicester	19/05/81
Vanessa Hawkins	Olton	20/05/83
Maria Hardiman	Liverpool Sefton	16/11/81
Jo Ellis	Ipswich / Brunel Uni	28/06/81
Nadine Merabi	Clifton	19/01/82
Stephanie Farmer	Trojans	12/03/83
Anne Panter	Leicester	28/01/84
Alex Scott	Old Loughtonians	22/03/83
Officials
Peter Nicholson	Head Coach
Karen Holt	Manager
Clare Harvie	Coach
Dave Passmore	Coach
Emma Stanway	Physiotherapist

REPORT FROM THE FIRST MEETING OF THE NEW SAHA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
I, Charles K Smith, was elected president and Sheila Brown as vice-president, as per the constitution and bye-laws of the South African Hockey Association the executive members were appointed to the following portfolios:

International playing affairs:	Brian Hibbert
National teams liaison:	Brian Hibbert
Sponsorship, marketing & communication:	Steve Jaspan
International & continental liaison:	Steve Jaspan
Coaching & high performance:	Mickey Gordon
Facilities & equipment:	Mickey Gordon
Rules & technical:	Sheila Brown
Tournaments:	Sheila Brown
Transformation:	Shaun Baaitjies
Macro bodies liaison:	Charles K Smith
Affiliates:	Charles K Smith
Co-opted members:
Development:	Gary Dolley
Finance:	Bobby Gagel
Office, Staff & administration:	Bobby Gagel
Schools:	Wendell Domingo

Further to these appointments, the executive committee decided in principle to approach Ivan Boulton to manage the high performance programme for a period of one year. This task will be performed on a supplementary basis with his current employment as a head coach of Northwest.

The new Executive Committee has committed themselves to an operation and administration that is transparent, inclusive and accountable to the constituents hockey in South Africa. We will do our utmost to address all issues that are raised with us for the betterment of our code of sport. We are duty bound to make the game representative of all its constituents and to ensure that opportunity is offered from grass roots level through to our elite athletes.

The following is a meeting schedule for 2001:

16 January 2001	Executive Meeting	Johannesburg
27/8 January 2001	Transformation Task Team Meeting	Port Elizabeth
22 February 2001	Management Meeting	Johannesburg
24 February 2001	NOCSA Quadrennial General Meeting	Johannesburg
29 March 2001	Executive Meeting	Johannesburg
16/21 April 2001	FIH Meetings	Brussels
26 April 2001	Management Meeting	Johannesburg
19/20 May 2001	Transformation Task Team Meeting	Port Elizabeth
24 May 2001	Executive Meeting	Johannesburg
21/22 June 2001	Transformation Council Meeting	Johannesburg
22 June 2001	Special General Meeting	Johannesburg
22/23 June 2001	Mid-year Council Meeting	Johannesburg
26 July 2001	Management Meeting	Johannesburg
30 August 2001	Executive Meeting	Johannesburg
27 September 2001	Management Meeting	Johannesburg
25 October 2001	Executive Meeting	Johannesburg
15/16 November 2001	Transformation Council Meeting	Johannesburg
16 November 2001	Special General Meeting	Johannesburg
16 November 2001	Annual General Meeting	Johannesburg
16/17 November 2001	Council Meeting	Johannesburg
6 December 2001	Executive Meeting	Johannesburg

National teams news:
A camp for the junior men's squads was held in Durban over the period, 1 to 4 December 2000. The following team was selected at the conclusion of the camp for a 3 test series against Holland in Cape Town during the period 17 to 20 January 2001:
Bruce Grant
Ian Symons
Reece Basson
Jodax Basson
Grant Clarke
Francois du Plessis
Ian Evans
Dale Isaac
Grant James
Gareth Mathews
John McInroy
Lyndon Mungur
Mtutu Msizi
Greg Pitt
Ryan Ravenscroft
Gary Royston
Ryan van der Riet
Barry John Wilson

Officials:
Kevin Sutcliffe   Coach
Paul Revington   Assistant coach
Andre' Le Roux   Manager

Medical support staff for the team will be announced soon.

The 7th Junior Men's Africa Cup takes place in Pretoria from 26 March to 1 April 2001. This is a qualifier for the Junior Men's World Cup which takes place in Hobart, Australia from 9 to 21 October 2001.

The Junior women's squad will have a camp in Cape Town from 18 to 21 January 2001, which will be followed by a tri-angular test series against Holland and England during the period 22 to 31 January 2001. The junior women's team has already qualified for the Junior Women's World Cup in Buenos Aires from 14 to 26 May 2001.

Plans for both the senior teams for the 2001 season will be finalised soon and communicated to you.

Both our senior national teams have been accepted into the 1st Champions Challenge in New Delhi during the period 1 to 10 December 2001.

The SAHA office will close on Friday 15 December 2000 and re-open on 8 January 2001. All appointments for the 2001 season will be finalised during the next fortnight and communicated to you. A synopsis of the Transformation Council Meeting is being prepared and should reach you soon.

Minutes of the Special General and Annual General Meetings are in their draft stages and should be available for distribution during January 2001. The minutes of the Council Meeting are being prepared at the moment and should be distributed during February 2001.

Negotiations with NEDBANK are at an advanced stage and we hope to report positively on these negotiations during January 2001.
An all out effort is being made to attract more resources to the game that will benefit everybody in our drive to make the game more affordable.

Whilst the performance agreement between us and the National Department of Sport is under the scrutiny of the Transformation Task Team, we are also focussing our attention on it to try and speed up the process of selecting teams and administrators that are more reflective of constituency base. We want to urge everybody to be vigilant in this regard and make every attempt to not only comply but to improve on the stipulations.

The final tournament schedule for 2001, with minor adjustments, inclusive of the various pools, will be circulated to you in due course, whilst the proposed budgets with refinements will be finalised at the next Executive Committee Meeting on 16 January 2001 after which it will be distributed as per the request from the November 2000 Council Meeting.

In conclusion, I use the opportunity to thank everybody for the part they played in promoting the game of hockey. The success of our endeavours is dependant on your support. Please feel free to contact me or any member of the Executive Committee, office staff and/or appointed office bearers of the SAHA with your advice and/or questions. I and the Executive Committee together with the office staff wish one and all a very relaxing and joyous festive season. We further wish our Moslem constituents well over the fasting period during the month of Ramadaan and a blessed Eid Mubarak.

Charles K Smith
President

CASTLE LITE ANNUAL HOCKEY AWARDS
The prestigious SA Hockey / Castle Lite Annual Awards were announced at a function held at the Holiday Inn Garden Court Johannesburg Airport this evening.

The Annual Castle Lite Hockey Awards are designed to reward exceptional performance on and off the field by our national teams, individuals and administrators. The media play a huge role in promoting sport in South Africa and specific media awards have been created to reward exceptional service to hockey.

Godfrey Morley, Head of Sponsorship - South African Breweries, said "SAB is proud of the relationship we have built up with SAHA from a national and regional perspective. On behalf of Castle Lite I would like to thank the Association, the provinces and the players for their continued support."

The Hockey Journalist of the Year Award has been split this year into electronic and print categories. The recipients of these awards were Gerald de Kock and Luke Alfred respectively. Gerald and Luke collected the Journalist of the Year Trophies together with R10 000 each for their efforts.

Etienne Rothbart received the Photographer of the Year Award and R5 000 for his outstanding contribution. Through Etienne's efforts hockey has received the much needed exposure and publicity it deserves.

The Western Province Hockey Union maintained their exceptional standard of administration (in terms of criteria specified by SAHA) to win the Province of the Year Trophy for the third time. WPHU received a R5 000 boost for this fine performance.

The Eastern Province Hockey Federation shared the award for the Development Projects of the Year with the KwaZulu Natal Hockey Association. The R10 000 first prize was split between these provinces for their work in promoting sustainable projects in their respective regions. Earl Marais and Gill Montague deserve special mention here.

The Castle Lite Men's Player of the Year Award of R7 500 went to Gregg Clark for his outstanding contribution to the team. Gregg is SA's most capped player with 170 internationals to his credit.

Inke van Wyk, SA's number 1 goalkeeper who has 58 caps to her credit, received the Castle Lite Women's Player of the Year Award and also earned herself R7 500 for this distinction. Her exceptional and consistent performance in goal saved many a match for the SA women's team in 30 outings this year.

Craig Fulton and Luntu Ntloko were rewarded with R2 500 each for showing the spirit that embodies Castle Lite's characteristics - healthy lifestyle and the lighter side of life. These recipients were chosen by their respective team managers and coaches for their contribution to the national teams both on and off the field.

The Dave & Helen Metter Award to the "Hockey Personality of the Year" went to John Wright for his all-round contribution. Clare Digby presented President's Awards for outstanding service to hockey in 2000 to: Biddy Allchurch, Belinda Arnold, Marisa Beeton, Thabo Daniels, Dennis Gerber, Tony Irish, Karen Kruger, John Spencer & Neil Stakes.

Africa Cup for Club Champions
20 November: Mr Price Technikon Natal defeated Smouha 4-2. The goalscorers for SA's champion team were Darryn Gallagher (2), Ross Riddle and Phil Gladman. They then went on to hold the fancied Sharkia outfit to a 1-1 draw, thanks to a well-taken goal by Mike Cullen.

The Tech side finished-up 4th overall.

14 November: South Africa's club champions, Mr Price Technikon Natal, have notched up two wins in three outings.

In the first match against Trustees of Ghana, Technikon ran out 2-1 winners, with Darryn Gallagher netting both goals. El Sayadin of Egypt defeated Technikon 2-0 but the Natalians came back strongly yesterday to emerge 3-1 winners over the Sunrise Club (the Zimbabwean champs). Darryn Gallagher again netted twice and Dave Jackson scored a well-taken field goal. Technikon face Armed Forces (Kenya) in their fourth match today, 13 November.

Other results to date:

Sayadin	6	Trustees	1
Sharkia	3	�Armed Forces	1
Smouha	0	Armed Forces	1
Sunrise	3	Smouha	2
Sharkia	2	�Sayadin	1
Sharkia	11	�Sunrise	4

After three days' play, local favourites Sharkia head the log with full points.

The Africa Cup for Club Champions gets underway in Alexandria, Egypt, on Friday 10 November 2000.

Champion club teams from seven nations have entered the men's competition. As hosts, Egypt will field three teams (El Sharkia,� Smouha and El Sayadin). Nigeria has opted to enter a second team and will be represented by the Kanemi Flickers and Union Bank. Other participants include Armed Forces (Kenya), Sunrise (Zimbabwe), Anadil (Tanzania), Trustees (Ghana) and Technikon Natal (South Africa). Technikon earned their place by virtue of winning the SAHA club championships in 1999. They successfully defended their title as SA's top men's club team at this year's championships held in Cape Town in September 2000.

Five teams are scheduled to face up in the women's ACCC: El Sharkia and Embaba (Egypt), Sliders and Telecom (Kenya) and the club champions from Nigeria. Old Edwardians from Johannesburg, South Africa, could not make the trip to Alexandria.

The tournament spans a full week, with the cross-pools scheduled for Thursday 16 November and the finals on Friday 17 November.

REPORTED FRIDAY: Dave Carr, the manager of SA's Technikon Natal men's team, reports that neither of the Nigerian teams has arrived, nor has Anadil from Tanzania. The tournament will now be played in a round-robin format, involving seven teams.

Technikon Natal's fixtures:

Friday 10th	20.00	v	Trustees (Ghana)
Saturday 11th	16.00	v	Sayadin (Egypt)
Sunday 12th	14.00	v	Sunrise (Zimbabwe)
Monday 13th	16.00	v	Armed Forces (Kenya)
Wednesday 15th	14.00	v	Smouha (Egypt)
Friday 17th	18.00	v	Sharkia (Egypt)

OLYMPICS - FINAL PLACINGS
On most days, the hockey competitions at the Olympic Games produced more upsets than expected results. The final rankings were as follows:

Men�s Competition		Women�s Competition
1	Netherlands	1	Australia
2	Korea	2	Argentina
3	Australia	3	Netherlands
4	Pakistan	4	Spain
5	Germany	5	China
6	Great Britain	6	New Zealand
7	India	7	Germany
8	Argentina	8	Great Britain
9	Spain	9	Korea
10	Canada	10	South Africa
11	Malaysia
12	Poland

The top six ranked men�s and women�s teams will compete in the Champions Trophy Tournaments in 2001, with the remaining teams scheduled to participate in the inaugural men�s and women�s Champions Challenge Tournaments to be hosted by India in late 2001. In the light of NOCSA�s decision to exclude the SA men�s team from the Olympics, we made application to the FIH to grant us at least a special entry into next year�s Champions Challenge. The proposal has been discussed by the FIH and we expect a favourable response when the FIH Competitions Committee next meets at the end of November 2000.

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS FINAL PLACINGS
News from Cape Town is that Natal Technikon won both the men�s and women�s events at the Club Champion of Champions Tournament. Congratulations to them on this achievement and also to the teams from the University of Stellenbosch on making the finals.
Final rankings:

Men		Women
1	Natal Technikon	1	Natal Technikon
2	University of Stellenbosch	2	University of Stellenbosch
3	Constantiaberg	3	RAU
4	Pietermaritzburg University	4	University of Port Elizabeth
5	Jeppe	5	Free State University
6	Old Selbornians	6	Technikon Pretoria
7	Technikon Pretoria	7	Pietermaritzburg University
8	University of Port Elizabeth	8	Worcester

WOMEN'S HOCKEY: SA JUNIORS vs FRENCH NATIONAL SQUAD, AUGUST 2000
Itinerary:

Saturday 19 August	15.00	Match v Northerns, Technikon Pretoria
Sunday 20 August	16.00	Match v Northerns, Technikon Pretoria
Wednesday 23 August	19.00	Match v Southern Gauteng, Randburg Stadium
Friday 25 August	19.00	Match v SA U21s, Randburg Stadium
Saturday 26 August	19.00	Match v SA U21s, Randburg Stadium
Tuesday 29 August	17.00	Match v North West, Potchefstroom

The Teams

SA	Province	No.	Name	Club	Caps
Lizette Bester	North West	1	Sandrine Boccara	CA Montrouge	13
Claire Harris	Griqualand West	2	Marion Bonnet	Saint Germain HC	27
Grazjyna Engelbrecht	Southern Gauteng	3	Ang�lique Martin	Cambrai HC	11
Andrea Gordon	Griqualand West	4	Aur�lie Morin	CA Montrouge	13
Tarryn Laurie (C)	Western Province	5	Sophie Remoue (VC)	SCO Angers	57
Elfrieda Maas	Southern Gauteng	6	Christelle Lafaury	Lille HC	11
Marsha Marescia	KwaZulu Natal	7	Muriel Lazennec (C)	Stade Francais/Paris	84
Sophie Mayer	Southern Gauteng	8	Ga�lle Verrier	Saint Germain HC	22
Leanne McNally	KwaZulu Natal	9	Delphine Altayrac	Cambrai HC	19
Melissa Rankin	KwaZulu Natal	10	Val�rie Delloye	Cambrai HC	16
Juliet Ranjane	North West	11	St�phanie Gomis	Lille HC	11
Bronwyn Ross	KwaZulu Natal	12	Julie Clement	CA Montrouge	23
Kim Tucker	Southern Gauteng	13	Caroline Delloye	Cambrai HC	27
Dominique van den Berg	KwaZulu Natal	14	Aur�lie Noel	Amiens Sports Club	47
Abigail van Schalkwyk	North West	15	Clarisse Bonnet	Saint Germain HC	-
Sharne Wehmeyer	Southern Gauteng	16	Peggy Bergere	Cambrai HC	23
		30	Ma�lle Loyot	CA Montrouge	59
		31	Sandrine Bretonniere	SCO Angers	13
		32	Virginie Verte	Saint Germain HC	8
Officials
Ros Howell	Coach		Jean Danet	Vice President, FFH
Gill Doig	Manager		Joke Bougon	Chef de Mission, FFH
Mo Pearson	Assistant Coach		Pascal Poulenc	Head Coach
			Ga�l Foulard	Assistant Coach
			Jean-Luc Delloye	Manager
			Gis�le Di Giacomo	Trainer
			Guy Rene Bellocq	Physiotherapist
			Fr�d�ric Guyomarc'h	Doctor

WOMEN'S HOCKEY: SA/SPAIN SERIES, AUGUST 2000
SA's Easi Ntombis take on Spain in a five test series early next month in preparation for the Olympics.

THE ITINERARY:

Tuesday 1 August	18.00	Randburg
Thursday 3 August	17.30	Potchefstroom
Friday 4 August	18.00	Randburg
Sunday 6 August	15.00	Randburg
Tuesday 8 August	18.00	Randburg

THE TEAMS:

SOUTH AFRICA					SPAIN
No.	Name	Caps	Age	Prov	No	Name	Caps	Age
1	Paola Vidulich	15	23	SG	1	Elena Carrion	56	29
2	Inke van Wyk	46	29	NW	2	Nuria Moreno	57	25
					3	Cruz Gonzalez	67	29
4	Jacqui Geyser	84	26	KZN	4	Carmen Barea	212	33
5	Carina van Zijl	71	25	NW	5	Sonia de Ignacio-Simo (C)	93	29
6	Anli Kotze	52	20	WP	6	Ivet Imbers	31	23
					7	Carmen Martin	40	23
					8	Sonia Barrio	205	30
9	Michele MacNaughton	88	26	KZN	9	Silvia Munoz	42	21
					10	Lucia Lopez	69	26
11	Karen Roberts (C)	126	33	SG	11	Mar Feito	92	24
12	Lindsey Carlisle	100	31	SG	12	Maider Telleria	106	27
13	Karen Symons	81	33	SG	13	Elena Urkizu	81	25
14	Kerry Bee (VC)	118	25	WP	14	Begona Larzabal	76	29
15	Pietie Coetzee	94	21	SG	15	Erdoitza Goikoetxea	50	25
16	Alison Dare	109	34	SG	16	Cibeles Romero	16	22
					17	Nuria Camon	47	22
					18	Amanda Gonzalez	20	21
22	Luntu Ntloko	19	24	SG
27	Marilyn Agliotti	52	21	WP
28	Caryn Bentley	86	25	KZN
31	Susan Wessels	54	22	SG
	Officials
	Ann Neilson - Manager				Joaquin Beracoechea - Manager
					Marisol Sanchez - Assistant Manager
	Gene Muller - Coach				Marc Lammers - Coach
	Gill Montague - Asst Coach				Oriol Alcaraz - Asst Coach
	Greg Beling - Video Technician
	Dave Meyerowitz - Physiotherapist				Sandra Lopez - Physiotherapist
					Cristina Perez - Doctor
	Jean Buchanan - Umpire				Angela Lario - Umpire

DOOR STILL OPEN FOR SA MEN'S HOCKEY TEAM
May 26 2000 at 09:05PM
Rio de Janeiro - The International Olympic Committee on Friday rejected an appeal by South Africa's field hockey association against the exclusion of its men's team from the Sydney Games.

But South Africa's Olympic chief said he would reopen negotations with the federation, opening the door for the team to go to Sydney after all.

In February, the South African National Olympic Committee (Nocsa) said it would not send the field hockey team to Sydney because of a disproportionate number of white players, and because the team had little chance of finishing among the top nine.

The South African squad qualified for the Olympics by winning the All Africa Games last year in Johannesburg.

The South African Hockey Association appealed the matter directly to the IOC.

In rejecting the appeal on Friday, the IOC executive board said national Olympic committees have authority over the entry of athletes at the games.

"A decision by a National Olympic Committee may only be reversed if a fundamental principle or a mandatory rule of the Olympic Charter is violated by such decision," an IOC statement said.

"While expressing its sympathy to the athletes who were not selected, the IOC executive board nevertheless considers that the decision taken by Nocsa does not exceed the limits of its authority and shall not be annulled," it said.

At the same time, Nocsa president Sam Ramsamy told IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch that he will reopen discussions on the issue with the hockey association when he returns to South Africa.

Ramsamy refused to comment when pressed on whether he would seek to overturn his committee's original decision.

However, Friday's developments appeared to represent a face-saving solution under which the IOC publicly endorsed Nocsa's authority while clearing the way for the team to be reinstated. - Sapa-AP

IOL Online

UMPIRES FOR NEDBANK AND SPAR TOURNAMENTS

NEDBANK SHIELD			SPAR CHALLENGE
	UMPIRE'S NAME	PROVINCE	UMPIRE'S NAME	PROVINCE
1.	Du Toit, Glen	Southern Gauteng	Buchanan, Jean	Southern Gauteng
2.	Hardiman, Shane	Eastern Province	Church, Emma	Border
3.	Hulley, Sean	Northerns	Cornelius, Corinne	Western Province
4.	Knipe, Donovan	Midlands	de Jager, Philette	Western Province
5.	Maasberg, Shaun	Free State	de Klerk, Marelize	Western Province
6.	McLaren, Zane	Southern Gauteng	Digby, Clare	Southern Gauteng
7.	McMurray, Clive	KwaZulu Natal	Dirkse van Schalkwyk, Elise	Western Province
8	Mulder, Sven	Western Province	Koekemoer, Charmaine	Midlands
9.	Nel, Deon	Border	Newton, Bronwyn	Midlands
10.	Rom, Kevin	KwaZulu Natal	Nunn, Lesley	Southern Gauteng
11.	Smith, Lionel	KwaZulu Natal	Parr, Mary	Southern Gauteng
12.	Wright, John	Northerns	Schafer, Tanya	KwaZulu Natal
Reserve (non-travelling) Symmonds, Gary KwaZulu Natal			Marnewick, Des - Southern Gauteng

PROVINCIAL HOCKEY LEAGUE CANCELLED
This competition has had more withdrawals. Free State have withdrawn both their Men and Women's Teams and Southern Gauteng have withdrawn their Men's Team.

This means that KZN, Midlands and Griquas remain in the Men's section and that KZN, North West, Midlands and Griquas remain in the Women's section.

SAHA regrets that it cannot continue to run such a depleted tournament and advises that all scheduled fixtures are hereby cancelled.

Should individual Provinces wish to arrange their own weekend tournaments, they are welcome to do so. It would be protocol to advise the SAHA Office of the dates and venues of such tournaments.

The NHL will be reviewed at the June Council. In future it is proposed that in an Olympic year only the Inter-Provincial Tournaments should be staged.

I would like to thank all provinces for their co-operation in the above.

Yours in Hockey
BRIAN HIBBERT
SAHA EXECUTIVE BOARD: TOURNAMENTS

UNDER 21 TOURNAMENT FINAL PLACINGS
Final placings at the men's and women's U21 interprovincial tournaments played in Pretoria and Randburg, 24 - 30 April:

	Women	Men
1.	Southern Gauteng	Southern Gauteng
2.	KwaZulu Natal	Western Province
3.	North West�	Natal Midlands
4.	Western Province	Eastern Province
5.	Northerns�	KwaZulu Natal
6.	Boland�	Northerns
7.	SG Witsies	WP Peninsula
8.	Natal Midlands�	SG Witsies
9.	Eastern Province	Free State
10.	Free State�	Eastern Province B
11.	WP Peninsula�	KZN Mynahs
12.	Border�	Border
13.	KZN Mynahs��	Natal Midlands B
14.	Eastern Province B�	Eastern Gauteng
15.	Griqualand West	Griqualand West
16.	Eastern Gauteng�	-

In the women's competition, Candace Forward (KZN) was named as player of the tournament and Thami Tsolekile (WP) was named as player of the tournament in the men's competition.

Women's SA Junior Team: Cathy Cutten (WP), Dalean de Kock (SG), Grazjyna Engelbrecht (SG), Andrea Gordon (GW), Kate Hector (WP), Tarryn Hosking (WP), Tarryn Laurie (WP), Elsa Lombard (NW), Elfrieda Maas (SG), Marsha Marescia (KZN), Sophie Mayer (SG), Leanne McNally (KZN), Melissa Rankin (KZN), Bronwyn Ross (KZN), Kim Tucker (SG), Dominique van den Berg (KZN), Mariska van der Merwe (FS), Abigail van Schalkwyk (NW), Sharne Wehmeyer (SG).
Non-travelling Reserves: Juliet Ranyane (NW), Nicole le Gras (EP), Lisette Bester (NW), Mugelaine Geswindt (WP).
Team Officials: Ros Howell (Coach), Gill Doig (Manager).

Men's SA Junior Team: Reece Basson (Border), Jodax Beaumont (KZN), Grant Clarke (WP), Francois du Plessis (WP Pens), Iain Evans (KZN), Bruce Grant (KZN), Dale Isaac (NM), Grant James (KZN), Gareth Matthews (SG), John McInroy (WP Pens), Lyndon Mungur (WP), Gregory Pitt (EP), Ryan Ravenscroft (SG), Gary Royston (NM), Ian Symons (WP), Thami Tsolekile (WP), Ryan van der Riet (NM), Barry John Wilson (FS).
Non-travelling Reserves: Brendon Botes (EP), Gareth Carr (KZN), Mark Holness (WP), Mtutu Msizi (WP), Naadir Nathie (EP), Richard Stewart (NM), Charl van der Merwe (NM).
Team Officials: Kevin Sutcliffe (Coach), Charles Smith (Manager), Paul Revington (Assistant Coach).

APPEAL TO THE IOC
SOUTH AFRICA:   Appeal To The IOC Executive Board Against The Decision Of The National Olympic Committee Of South Africa To Exclude The Men's Hockey Team From Participating In The Games Of The XXVII Olympiad

In accordance with section 49 (3) of the Olympic Charter, the South African Hockey Association, through the International Hockey Federation, hereby presents its appeal to the IOC Executive Board against the decision by the National Olympic Committee of South Africa on the matter of the exclusion of the South African men's hockey team from entry to the Sydney Olympics.

1.    The Case For The Inclusion of The Men's Hockey Team

1.1 The South African men's hockey team made a first ever appearance (as Continental champions) at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, finishing a creditable 10th out of 12 teams. Only six members of the current men's squad competed in Atlanta. They now form the experienced core of the team and as players are held in high regard in world hockey. The average age of the 30-strong squad (at 23 years) is young by international standards and the squad presently includes seven black players in its number.

South Africa successfully defended its title as Continental champions at the All Africa Games in September 1999 - the qualifying competition for Sydney. Five months after the event, the National Olympic Committee of South Africa (NOCSA) announced its decision to refuse the team entry to Sydney. To deny the team entry on the strength of its performance and results over the past two years (27 matches won out of 42) and the importance of developing talented young players for Athens in 2004 is not fair, is not reasonable and is prejudicial not only to the national squad players and the men's national team but also to hockey in South Africa and to hockey in Africa.

    1.2    Hockey is not a game that has professional (moneyed) status in South Africa. The decision to exclude the men's team (should it stand) will undermine the efforts being made to retain players in the sport and attract new players into the game on an inclusive basis. High-level sport contributes to the development of sport for all.

    1.3   The South African Hockey Association (SAHA) was one of the first national federations to execute a "Performance Agreement" with the Ministry of Sport & Recreation of South Africa. This agreement, signed on 30th November 1999, commits the parties to "the transformation of sport in terms of targets for full representivity and in the spirit of taking sport to all people in the country". SAHA is operating in terms of the agreement and NOCSA, in making its decision, has not given recognition to this.

    1.4   The decision of NOCSA is prima facie discriminatory primarily for the following reasons:

       1.4.1   The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport in accordance with his or her needs.

       1.4.2   Any form of discrimination on grounds of race, politics, gender or otherwise, is incompatible with the fundamental principles of the Olympic Movement.

    1.5 NOCSA's decision is arbitrary: There is no suggestion that NOCSA has properly used its discretion and nor is there evidence that NOCSA properly applied its mind to the matter:

       1.5.1 NOCSA's Executive Committee (NEC) claims that it has consulted extensively with international experts on the men's team's likely finish at Sydney. The NEC has not and will not substantiate the basis of this claim. It has not consulted with either the African Hockey Federation (AHF) or the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

       1.5.2    The NEC has not given due consideration to the standard of the Continental qualifying competition in Africa and the strength or quality of the South African men's team at world level.

       1.5.3 The NEC has not, in the absence of setting its own criteria, considered criteria established between SAHA and the Ministry of Sport of South Africa relating to representation in or the make-up of the men's team.

       1.5.4   SAHA, the players (or other parties having an interest) whose rights are fundamentally affected by NOCSA's actions, have not been given a fair and proper right of hearing.

2. Background

    2.1   On 9th February 2000, NOCSA announced its decision "not to include in its team for Sydney the South African men's hockey team."

    2.2   In making its announcement to SAHA, the FIH and the media, NOCSA stated that: "For men's hockey we stipulated that the team should be placed 9th or higher at the Olympic Games in Sydney or the team should have an acceptable portion of players from the formerly disadvantaged sector of our society. The Executive Committee agreed that men's hockey does not comply with either of these stipulations".

    2.3    In a letter to SAHA dated 9th February 2000, NOCSA wrote: "We hereby confirm that according to the NOCSA 2000 Olympic Games selection policy, our Executive Committee has decided to select the women's hockey team but to exclude the men's hockey team. We expect SAHA to accept this decision in the true spirit of sportsmanship and not to engage in any unnecessary public debate which might be harmful to both Hockey and the Olympic Movement".

    2.4   On 14th February 2000, the FIH issued a statement recording its opposition to NOCSA's decision and requesting that NOCSA reconsider the matter. Whilst accepting that there may be special circumstances w.r.t. selection in South African sport, the FIH stated that NOCSA's policy was in conflict with the qualification system jointly agreed by hockey's world governing body and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The statement referred to the fact that the "FIH qualification system was based on the IOC's principle of universality which aims to achieve reasonable global participation for the purposes of development. In line with this philosophy, the FIH system gives automatic entrance to Continental Games champions and therefore, should NOCSA's decision stand, there would be no representation from Africa in the men's hockey tournament in Sydney. This would be a major blow to the development of the sport in South Africa and on the African Continent and we (the FIH) believe that the principle of Olympic (geographic) universality should be the overriding consideration."

    2.5    On 16th February 2000, NOCSA replied to the FIH appealing for understanding of its selection policy and advised that its "Guidelines for the Selection of the South African Olympic Team to Compete in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games" (The Guidelines) had been adopted by NOCSA's membership in April 1998. Further, NOCSA confirmed that on 20th May 1999, it had stated in writing to the FIH: "That if the South African (hockey) teams qualify for the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, NOCSA will consider their selection according to its own policy which has been accepted by SAHA".

Furthermore, NOCSA concluded that: "It has to ensure that its selection policy is fair to all sports on the programme of the XXVII Olympiad so that the level and standard of all competitors in our (the South African) team are equitable. For that reason we have excluded qualification via Africa in several sports."

     2.6    The Guidelines (adopted April 1998, issued 16th May 1998) state i.a. that:

    2.6.1   "IOC Policy:    The IOC, in co-operation with the Association of Olympic Committees and the International Federations, has established qualification and entry criteria to ensure the preservation of quality and universality of the Olympic Games. Quality will ensure that all top athletes and teams will have adequate opportunities to qualify and gain the highest positions possible at the Olympic Games. At the same time the IOC, ANOC and the IFs are determined that there is worldwide representation at the Games. This policy, generally termed "universality", guarantees the adequate and acceptable possibility of development of Olympic sports in all parts of the world. The reason for continental qualification and representation is the direct result of this policy. In short, the IOC entry qualification ensures a two-tiered selection policy."

       2.6.2   "NOCSA's Selection Policy: NOCSA's selection policy will comply with the letter and spirit of the IOC qualification criteria. NOCSA contends that it will not be fulfilling the IOC criteria if it utilises its continental qualification as entry for the Olympic Games individuals and teams from the former establishment sector of the population. In fact it would be dishonest if such individual athletes and teams used the continental qualification system to compete in the Games as this method of entry was established to encourage development of Olympic sports in the disadvantaged sector. If we allow the advantaged sector to qualify via the continental system, South Africa would qualify with little or no effort in many sports because of the low development of many sports in the rest of Africa. In fact, South Africa would qualify automatically in several sports because of the non-existence of certain sports in the rest of Africa. For such sports, NOCSA will in general, consider entries from the disadvantaged sector. This selection policy will justifiably address the present concern about the demographic representation of South Africa in international sport. However, the two-tier selection policy will guarantee that individuals and teams capable of producing commendable performances at the Olympic Games and of winning medals are included. Besides, NOCSA, in selecting its team for Sydney will also review the performances achieved by South Africans in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta."

       2.6.3   "NOCSA's Selection Criteria:   Selection for Sydney 2000 will be considered if the NOCSA Executive is satisfied that one or more of the following criteria can be fulfilled:
* Entry via preliminary qualification:
� If the performance and placing of the team, individuals or combination of athletes in the qualification competition are likely to receive the highest commendation in international sport;
� If the standard and level of the qualifying competition is of a very high international quality;
� If the qualifying team, individuals or combination of athletes are made up of an acceptable proportion of athletes from the historically disadvantaged sector of South African society.
* Direct entry for the Olympic Games:
� If individual athletes or combination of athletes can reach the semi-finals or equivalent in the event in which they are selected."

    2.6.4   "Criteria For Each Sport: In the case of hockey, NOCSA must be satisfied that the men's team will be ranked at least nine and the women's team at least eight at the Sydney Olympic Games."

    2.6.5   "Conclusion: NOCSA will consider qualification in all sports, unless where indicated otherwise, via the continental system within the context of universality. The NOCSA Executive will, of course, use utmost discretion in this regard so that the development of talent for 2004 receives priority. NOCSA's two-tier selection policy will ensure the preservation of the IOC policy of quality and universality. No athlete, team or combination of athletes with any chance of a medal or performing extremely well at the Olympic Games will be excluded from the South African team. The NOCSA selection policy guarantees this principle. However, to fulfil the IOC policy of universality, we are hoping that sports federations with an exclusive base will broaden this base into all communities and so qualify through Africa - not on their exclusivity but on their universality. After all, this was the reason and thinking behind the policy of universality as established by the IOC. Notwithstanding the principle of universality, NOCSA will ensure that a quality team will represent South Africa in Sydney. All athletes so qualifying will receive thorough and quality preparation. In short, there will be no holiday makers or token representation. Several holiday makers sneaked into the team for Atlanta. The present selection policy has firmly blocked this loop-hole."

    2.7   On 27th February 2000, NOCSA issued an official statement to the media to clarify its stance and the public announcements made on 9th February 2000 (Sunday Times article attached).

Clare Digby
President, South African Hockey Association
7th April 2000

MEN'S FOUR NATIONS TOURNAMENT IN AUSTRALIA
Results from Sydney and Perth.

6 April

Australia

India

Germany

South Africa

8 April

South Africa

Australia

The SA men's team produced a fantastic display against the home side and Olympic gold medal prospects, Australia. Greg Nicol scored for SA to double his tally in the tournament and continue his record-beating run at international level.

Germany

India

9 April

South Africa

2�

India

Nicol also scored both goals against India to reach the milestone of 150 goals in 120 matches.

Australia

Germany

12 April

Australia

India

South Africa

Germany

South Africa put on a fine performance, but with the scores level and four minutes remaining, Germany went ahead to win the game 3-2. Greg Nicol continued his phenomenal run, notching both of SA's goals.

13 April

South Africa

India

Australia

Germany

15 April

Australia

South Africa

Germany

India

16 April

South Africa

Australia

Brenton Key scored for SA and Craig Fulton earned his 100th cap.

Germany

India

Final Placings:
1) India 2) Germany 3) Australia 4) South Africa

Final placings at the women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament played in Milton Keynes, England, 24th March to 2nd April:

1.	New Zealand	6.	United States�
2.	Great Britain	7.	Japan
3.	Germany	8.	Ireland�
4.	Spain	9.	Russia��
5.	China	10.	India��

The teams that finished in the top five in Milton Keynes will join continental champions Argentina, Australia, Holland, South Africa and South Korea in Sydney in September 2000.

Clare Digby

Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Final Results and Other National Team News
Final placings at the men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament played in Osaka, Japan, 9th to 20th March:

1.	Spain�	4.	Poland	7.	Argentina	10.	New Zealand
2.	Pakistan�	5.	Great Britain	8.	Japan	11.	Switzerland
3.	South Korea�	6.	Malaysia	9.	Belgium	12.	Belarus

The teams that finished in the top six in Osaka, along with continental champions Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland and India, will make up the twelve entries for Sydney 2000. The South African men's team has also qualified for the Olympics by virtue of winning the All Africa Games but their participation remains in dispute and is the subject of ongoing negotiations between SAHA, NOCSA, the SA Ministry of Sport & Recreation, the FIH and the IOC.�

The SA Men's and Women's Junior High Performance Squads kicked-off the year with training camps in Durban and Johannesburg on the weekend of 18th to 21st March. Coaches Kevin Sutcliffe and Ros Howell reported good turn-outs. All the players will be competing for top honours and places in the national junior teams at the U21 IPTs scheduled for the week of 24th to 30th April. The men's tournament takes place in Pretoria and the women's at Randburg.

The South African women's national squad assembles in Johannesburg on 22nd March for a four day training camp. Head coach Gene Muller then travels to Milton Keynes to watch the Olympic hopefuls in action at the Qualifying Tournament.

The South African men's national team departs for Sydney on 2nd April to compete in a 4 nations tournament along with hosts, Australia, India and Germany. This event will serve as the team's final preparation for the 6th Africa Cup of Nations which is scheduled to take place in Bulawayo from 13th to 20th May. In terms of the new format for global competitions (adopted by the FIH a year ago), the winners of the Africa Cup will automatically qualify for the next World Cup in 2002.�
Clare Digby

FIH refutes reports of South African hockey ban
Brussels, Belgium - The International Hockey Federation and its Hon. Treasurer Robert Lycke, today refuted press reports stating it might impose a long-term "ban" on the South African men's hockey team for its failure to participate in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Mr. Lycke, speaking at a press conference held earlier this week in Osaka, Japan where the men's Qualifying Tournament for the Sydney Olympic Games is taking place, referred to the negative impact on the development of hockey in the region, should the South African men's hockey team not be permitted to participate in the Olympic Games. In addition, he explained that it would be more difficult for the South African men's national team to qualify for other world level events, since the Olympic hockey tournament serves as a qualifying tournament for other key international competitions. At no point did Mr. Lycke suggest that the FIH would impose official sanctions against South African hockey.

The inaccurate reports stem from mounting speculation on the outcome of ongoing discussions among South African sports authorities in the light of the decision by the National Olympic Committee of South Africa to exclude the SA men's hockey team from its Olympic contingent for Sydney. The team has already qualified for Sydney through the FIH system.

The FIH reiterated that before it could come to any final conclusions, it would have to await the outcome of these discussions and further communications from the South African Hockey Association.

16th March 2000
Issued by the FIH
Mary C. Coyle Communications Manager
Phone: +32 2 219 4537, Fax: +32 2 219 2761
e-mail: Comm@FIHockey.org

Statement from FIH Official
SAPA: FIH threatens to ban SA hockey for Nocsa decision OWN CORRESPONDENT, Osaka | Wednesday 12.15pm.

FIELD hockey's world governing body is considering banning South Africa for a "long time" if they pull out of the Sydney Olympics, a top official said here in Osaka on Wednesday.

The National Olympic Committee of South Africa (Nocsa) last month decided against fielding the South African men's hockey team, which qualified for the Olympics as the continental champions from Africa.

The official reason given by Nocsa is that the team stands little chance of winning a medal at Sydney but the decision is being linked to men's hockey not embracing coloured and black players in its ranks. Nocsa has, however, allowed the South African women's team to play in Sydney.

International Hockey Federation treasurer Robert Lycke of Belgium said a final decision on South Africa's withdrawal will be taken at a FIH executive meeting in Brussels in June.

"The case is not clear, but the consequences are clear," Lycke told reporters at the Olympic qualifying tournament here. "South Africa could be out for a long time, they will face severe penalties for withdrawing from a tournament. I know the South African players want to go to the Olympics. I can understand their feelings. But such decisions are made by the people of the country and the officials. The country as a whole will be penalised." Lycke said.

FIH sources here said the world body is making behind-the-scenes efforts to get Nocsa to change its mind and allow the team to take part in the Olympics. But if South Africa withdraws, the FIH is likely to field the seventh-placed qualifier at the Osaka tournament at Sydney.

The draw for the Olympic competitions will be held after the women's qualifiers end in Milton Keynes, England, next month. South Africa's men's team took part in Olympic hockey for the first time at Atlanta in 1996, where they finished 10th in the 12-nation field.

Response from SAHA President:
Speaking from her home in Johannesburg late tonight, SA Hockey's President, Clare Digby, said:

"There has been much debate about the statements attributed to Lycke. The SAPA release reached me mid-morning and I have been inundated with media enquiries during the course of the day. FIH headquarters in Brussels has categorically refuted reports that it might impose a "long-term ban and severe penalties" on the South African Hockey Association and its men's national team for failure to take up its place in the Olympic hockey competition in Sydney.

The standpoint of the International Federation was made very clear less than a week ago, prior to the start of the OQT in Osaka: In essence the FIH said that it would stand by its existing qualification procedures (which have the approval of the IOC) and that teams placed outside of the top six in Osaka would be named only as reserves for the Olympics - in their order of finish - should the replacement of an already-qualified team be necessary. As winners of the All Africa Games held in September 1999, the South African men's hockey team qualified automatically for Sydney under FIH regulations."��

� Continued Digby: "Top-ranking FIH officials seemed as surprised by the report as I was and I do not believe for a moment that there is any validity in the claims. The FIH has been behind us all the way in our dealings with the NOCSA Executive Committee following its decision to exclude the men's team from selection for Sydney on the grounds that it did not meet stipulations on "quality and universality". Like us, the FIH maintains that the men's team has earned its place and that the development of the game in the Southern African region and on the African continent as a whole will be setback years if NOCSA's decision is allowed to stand.

If you think about it, it is laughable to suggest that we will be "banned or punished for pulling out". We have not withdrawn - we are being prevented from participating. the players want nothing more than to have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics and SAHA will continue to do everything it can to get NOCSA to reconsider its position. We are in regular contact with the SA Ministry of Sport & Recreation and other sports authorities, locally and abroad, and we hope that good sense will prevail.

We have received overwhelming support from every quarter. It is our duty to see that the best interests of sportsmen and women are served. This ongoing "battle" serves only to undermine their cause." Ends

Senior Indoor Tournament
KZN ran out winners over Southerns in the finals of both the men's and women's events played in Pietermaritzburg 2nd to 4th March.

Final placings
	Men	Women
1.	KZN	KZN
2.	Southerns	Southerns
3.	Midlands A	Midlands A��
4.	WP Tornados	SG Witsies
5.	Northerns A	Northerns
6.	Midlands B�	Midlands B
7.	KZN Mynahs�	KZN Mynahs
8.	Northerns B	Eastern Gauteng B
9.	SG Witsies�	Boland
10.	-�	Eastern Gauteng A

Top SA Officials Receive Important FIH Appointments

Jean Buchanan and John Wright have both earned selection to the umpires' panels for the Games in Sydney following their exceptional performances at the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments held a month ago.

A number of SA's top technical officials and umpires will be travelling abroad in the next few months to take up appointments at important international events run under the auspices of the FIH.

Merle Sterley has the distinction of being appointed as TD for the Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Milton Keynes, England, 24th March to 2nd April.

Marelize de Klerk and Jean Buchanan will also be at the OQT in Milton Keynes - Jean has been awarded an appointment as a neutral umpire and Marelize (who is amongst those invited to umpire at the Champions Trophy in Holland in late May and at the Sydney Olympics in September) will be attending an umpires' seminar specifically targeted at the top echelons.

John Wright leaves for Osaka, Japan, on 5th March to umpire at the Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Sheila Brown will do duty as a Judge at the Women's Champions Trophy in Amstelveen, Holland, from 26th May to 3rd June.

Jean Field has been appointed as a Judge for the Sydney Olympics.

Congratulations and good wishes to all. We can be proud of SA's standing in the technical fields.

Clare Digby, SAHA

U21 INDOOR RESULTS - 18-20 February in Durban

FINAL PLACINGS
	MEN		LADIES
1	MIDLANDS	1	KZN A
2	SOUTHERNS	2	KZN COLTS
3	KZN A	3	MIDLANDS A
4	MIDLANDS B	4	SOUTHERNS
5	EASTERN GAUTENG A	5	KZN MYNAHS
6	NORTHERNS	6	BOLAND
7	KZN MYNAHS	7	MIDLANDS B
8	EASTERN GAUTENG B	8	NORTHERNS
9	MIDLANDS COLTS	9	EASTERN GAUTENG A
10	EASTERN GAUTENG COLTS	10	EASTERN GAUTENG COLTS

TOURNAMENT SIDES
MEN	LADIES
CRAIG MAUD (MID)	ANGELA JACKSON (MID)
GORDON TURNBULL (SG)	NIKKI de CARVELA (EG)
IAIN EVANS (KZN)	MARSHA MARESCIA (KZN C)
STEWART GOWER-JACKSON (MID)	LOUISE WHITTLE (MID)
RICHARD JACKSON (MID)	CANDICE FORWARD (KZN)
JUSTIN ROSENBERG (SG)	LADONNA BENTLEY (KZN)
JODAX BEAUMONT (KZN)	MELISSA RANKIN (KZN)
CHARL VAN DER MERWE (MID)	MELISSA BAYNES (SG)
BRUCE GRANT (KZN)	LEIGH-ANN DAVIDSON (SG)
CHRIS COOKE (SG)	KELLY MARTIN (SG)
	KIRSTY DIEMONT (MID)
RESERVES	RESERVES
DUNCAN HOLMES (KZN)	NIKKI McGRATH (SG)
RYAN VAN DER RIET (MID)	HAYLEY DICKSON (KZN)
GRANT JAMES (KZN)
DARRYL HARRIS (SG)
WARRICK BOUWER (SG)
COACH	COACH
BRIAN EDWARDS	BEL MEEK
ASS COACH
MERVIN MOOI
MANAGER	MANAGER
STEVE ERASMUS	ZETA TEXEIRA

FIH PRESS RELEASE (14 February)

FIH President Juan Angel Calzado has issued the following statement in the light of the decision by the National Olympic Committee of South Africa (NOCSA) to exclude the South African men's hockey team from the SA Olympic Team despite the fact that the SA men's hockey team had automatically qualified for Sydney 2000 as the All Africa Games champions under the FIH qualification system. Mr Calzado states:

"The decision by NOCSA is extremely disconcerting and I sympathise with all those in South African men's hockey who are most certainly disappointed.

I have been in close and direct contact with SA Hockey Association President Clare Digby, as well as other appropriate authorities on the matter. Obviously the hockey family would like to see the decision reversed and if there is a way to achieve this, we will do our utmost to find it.

I am most disappointed that NOCSA, in full knowledge of the FIH qualification system, allowed the South African men's team to participate in the qualifying tournament - the All Africa Games - as a prerequisite to qualification and now after having qualified and some five months later, NOCSA is prohibiting the team from participating in the Olympic Games.

The South African NOC has explained in detail publicly its reasoning behind its decision to send the women's hockey team, also African Games champions, to the Olympic Games, but not to send the men's team. Its reasoning is based on their principles of quality and universality. NOCSA has stated it does not feel the South African men's team is capable of finishing in the first nine places in Sydney, and therefore does not meet its quality criteria. Neither does NOCSA feel the team meets their standard of universality, which NOCSA defines as "representivity (sic) from the formerly disenfranchised community."

The FIH certainly appreciates the special circumstances surrounding Olympic selection in South Africa. However, NOCSA's policy is in conflict with the qualification system of the sport's world governing body, a system which has been approved by the International Olympic Committee.

The FIH qualification system is based on the IOC's principle of universality, which aims to achieve reasonable global participation for the purposes of development. The FIH system, in line with this philosophy, gives automatic entrance to Continental Games champions. As a result of the decision by NOCSA, there will be no African representation in the men's Olympic hockey tournament. This is a major blow to the development of the sport in South Africa and the African Continent. In this instance, we feel the principle of Olympic (geographic) universality should be the overriding consideration.

Moreover, with respect to the standard of quality, it is worth noting that the South African men's hockey team made a first ever appearance (as Continental champions) at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, finishing a creditable 10th out of 12 teams.

The International Hockey Federation will continue discussions with the South African Hockey Association and NOCSA in an attempt to achieve a favourable solution to the situation."

14th February 2000

SOUTH AFRICAN MEN WIN TOURNAMENT

South Africa defeated Egypt 3-1 in the final of the Akhbar El Yom Championship played in Cairo late this afternoon, 19th February.

Greg Nicol converted twice in the first period for SA and completed his hattrick with a well-taken stroke late in the second half.

In the play-off for 3rd and 4th positions, India beat Switzerland 4-1.

The South African men's hockey team not only defeated Egypt 3-1 in the final of the Akhbar El Yom Championship in Cairo on Saturday 19th February, but went on to gain two further honours. The team won the "Fair Play Award" and Greg Nicol earned the distinction of top goalscorer with 6 goals from 4 matches.

Nicol has achieved similar honours in a number of events over the past four years, including Atlanta in 1996, the World Cup Qualifier in 1997, the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and the All Africa Games in 1999.

SOUTH AFRICAN MEN WIN FIRST THREE MATCHES

Egypt played superbly to beat India 3-1 in their final pool match. The teams were deadlocked at 1-1 for much of the game. South Africa emerged victors 2-1 over a highly motivated Swiss team. Mike Cullen and Greg Nicol scored for SA.

Switzerland will now face India in the play-off for the 3rd and 4th placings before travelling on to Osaka, Japan, for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

In what is being billed as a replay of last September's All Africa Games final, hosts Egypt take on South Africa in the play-off for top honours at the Akhbar El Yom Championship.

SOUTH AFRICAN MEN WIN FIRST TWO MATCHES

The SA men's team defeated hosts Egypt 3-1 today (Tuesday). The half-time score was 2-1. Goal scorers for SA were Craig Jackson (2) and Brenton Key.

SA's next match is against Switzerland late Thursday 17th February.

The SA men's team put on an extremely competent performance to defeat India 2-1 in the opening match of the Akhbar El Yom Championship in Cairo. Greg Nicol scored twice for South Africa.

Clare Digby, SAHA


SAHA president Clare Digby presents the Player of the Match award to Jane Sixsmith	Rod Solomons, Director of Western Cape Dept. of Sport and Recreation, hands the Player of the Match award to Carol Thate of The Netherlands	Player of the match Caryn Bentley with Clare Digby and Mariette van Gelein Vitringa - Member of the KNHB board

Mijntje Donners receives her award for Player of the Match, Player of the Series and it was her birthday to boot!

THE NETHERLANDS 2 SOUTH AFRICA 1
The clock had 47 seconds remaining when Holland scored the winning goal. This could only have been most disappointing to the South African team as they played excellent hockey - hugely improved over their earlier showings - and a draw would have been a justifiable result.

series12.jpg - 9837 Bytes

Against a full-strength Dutch side, Gene Muller's team ran at every opportunity, but most importantly, it was running with a pattern and with players in the right place at the right time. They had the better of the first half, gaining four penalty corners to three and the first goal - a Pietie Coetzee low drag flick.

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Holland piled on the pressure after the break, but it still took them 17 minutes to equalise, when Mijntje Donners netted with a hard shot after a slipped pass at a penalty corner.

During the most exciting final stages of the match, each team put all effort into the play, gaining three penalty corners each. It was from the last one that Ageeth Boomgaardt sent home a high flick.

Castle Lite Player of the Match and of the Series: Mijntje Donners

UMPIRES: Marelize de Klerk & Corinne Cornelius (SA).

THE NETHERLANDS 2 SOUTH AFRICA 2
South Africa's attack was much improved in their Wednesday match against the Netherlands, which was played in a very strong wind.

A pass from the backline on the right led to Karlijn Petri scoring from close range and when the Netherlands made it 2-0 with a direct penalty corner goal from Carole Thate, it appeared as if another loss was on the cards for the home team.

Late in the first half, a free hit from outside the circle was deflected in by Alison Dare to put South Africa back in the match.

Playing with the wind at their backs in the second half made a difference and with the strikers looking hungrier for goals, the game shifted from end to end. A through pass to Pietie Coetzee led to her beating the challenge from the goalkeeper as shown in the picture on the right, where she is just about to score.

That it was a far more even game is shown by the penalty corner count being 3-3.

Castle Lite Player of the Match: Caryn Bentley

UMPIRES: Rene Cohen (The Netherlands) and Marelize de Klerk (SA).

THE NETHERLANDS 2 GREAT BRITAIN 1
An early field goal by Rhona Simpson was quickly negated by Mijntje Donners in this very physical match.

No doubt armed with added determination after their first loss to Great Britain in years, the Netherlands had more of the game after equalising. The penalty corner count of one for GB and seven for the Dutch illustrates this.

The deciding goal came midway through the second half, when Dillianne van den Boogaardt slotted home a penalty corner.

Castle Lite Player of the Match: Dillianne van den Boogaardt

UMPIRES: Jane Nockolds (GB) and Rene Cohen (Netherlands)

GREAT BRITAIN 4 SOUTH AFRICA 1
This was a game of mixed fortunes for the South Africans. Their defenders made too many errors, while the strikers looked better, but had too many shots just missing the posts.

Great Britain scored in the first minute of the match, with Tina Cullen slotting a field goal. The home side picked up their game for the remainder of the half, but two goals in as many minutes in the second half gave them control of the match. Jane Smith scored from a penalty corner and then Rhona Simpson finished off good work done by Cullen for the next. Mandy Nicholson notched up the fourth with some 14 minutes of play remaining.

Near the end of the match, Caryn Bentley scored for South Africa from a penalty corner.

Great Britain had six penalty corners to the four of the home team.

Castle Lite Player of the Match: Tina Cullen

UMPIRES: Jane Nockolds (GB) and Marelize de Klerk (SA)

THE NETHERLANDS 4 SOUTH AFRICA 0
South Africa did not play well in the first half, whereas the Dutch were more resolute after their loss to Great Britain in their

previous match. The home side could not match the precision of The Netherlands and found themselves 3-0 down at half time. Goalscorers were Mijntje Donners, Dillianne van den Boogaardt and Julie Deiters.

Another early second half goal by Ageeth Boomgaardt put victory for the South Africans out of reach,

but they can take some solace from the fact that their game showed a marked improvement and they had far more of the attack. Resilient Dutch defence and passes going astray prevented them from scoring.

Castle Lite Player of the Match: Carol Thate

UMPIRES: Marelize de Klerk (RSA) and Rene Cohen (Netherlands)

GREAT BRITAIN 3 THE NETHERLANDS 2
Great Britain turned on the power against the Netherlands on Friday, racking up a 3-0 tally series2.jpg - 19525 Bytes

by the middle of the second half. In spite of the score, the game was fast and even, with G.Britain gaining only three penalty corners to five of Holland.

The three goals scored by Great Britain were all of a high quality and were scored by Tina Cullen, Rhona Sampson and Lucilla Wright in the 31st, 42nd and 50th minutes respectively.

This was the first time in 10 years that the British side beat Holland. series2.jpg - 6516 Bytes

Holland fought back hard and reduced the deficit by two through Dillianne van den Boogaard and Fleur van de Kieft, but they had left their efforts too late and ran out of time.

Castle Lite Player of the Match: Jane Sixsmith

UMPIRES: Jane Nockolds (GB) and Rene Cohen (Netherlands)

GREAT BRITAIN 2 SOUTH AFRICA 1
A large complement of British cricket fans coming to cheer for their women's hockey team added to the atmosphere at Hartleyvale on Thursday evening.

In a very physical match, the South Africans were kept under pressure for the first 15 minutes of the half, but scored first when a breakaway movement ended in Pietie Coetzee splitting the defence. The home team, spurred on by a good crowd, played well for the remainder of the half and with their defence showing tighter marking, denied GB the equaliser until the second half when Lucilla Wright slotted the ball home.

The remainder of the match was hard, with each team having chances. South Africa gained a number of penalty corners, but were unable to score, whereas from one of theirs, Jane Sixsmith gave G.Britain the lead.

During one of the torrid exchanges in the second half, Megan Dobson had her nose broken when a ball was deflected into her face off a stick.

Coach Gene Muller was not too disappointed with his team's two losses, saying that his players were coping well and showing improvement, even though the effects of not having played an international for eight months were showing.

Castle Lite Player of the Match: Inke van Wyk

UMPIRES: Jane Nockolds (GB) and Marelize de Klerk (SA)

NETHERLANDS 5 SOUTH AFRICA 2
The first match of the series saw the Netherlands, fresh from competitive hockey, taking some time to gain the upper hand over the home side. The South Africans are in the middle of the off-season and this showed, particularly in their defence.

The first Dutch goal came 18 minutes into the game and was scored by Fleur van de Kieft. Soon after, Karen Symons bustled in a Marilyn Agliotti pass to equalise and this was the half time score.

The visitors used good build up and interpassing to split the SA defence which resulted in two quick goals early in the second half. Ageeth Boomgaardt and Mijntje Donners were the scorers. Pietie Coetzee retaliated with a quality reverse stick shot.

The Dutch team, who are ranked second in the world, then scored twice more, firstly through Julie Deiters from a goalpost melee and then through Suzan van der Wielen, putting the match beyond doubt.

Castle Lite Player of the Match: Mijntje Donners

Umpires: Marelize de Klerk (SA) and Rene Cohen (Netherlands).

Great Britain and the Netherlands Women's Teams for Series against South Africa
No.	Name	Caps	Name	Caps
1	Carolyn Reid	64	Clarinda Sinnige	31
2	Hilary Rose	93	Miek van Geenhuizen	-
3	Kirsty Bowden	84	Macha van der Vaart	23
4	Jane Smith	147	Julie Deiters	73
5	Sue Chandler	50	Fatima Moreira de Melo	47
6	Melanie Clewlow	57	Karlijn Petri	24
7	Tina Cullen	153	Hanneke Smabers	97
8	Kath Johnson	152	Dillianne van den Boogaard	118
9	Mandy Nicholson	171	Margje Teeuwen	117
10	Jane Sixsmith	295	Mijntje Donners	109
11	Rhona Simpson	144	Ageeth Boomgaardt	73
12	Denise Marston-Smith	41	Myrna Veenstra	54
13	Helen Richardson	19	Minke Smabers	59
14	Fiona Greenham	59	Carole Thate (C)	133
15	Janet Jack	169	Fleur van de Kieft	87
16	Kate Walsh	23	Suzan van der Wielen	156
17	Sarah Blanks	36	Eefke Mulder	25
18	Lucilla Wright	67	Minke Booij	33
19			Eveline de Haan	3
20			Denise Mosbach	4
Head Coach		Jon Royce		Tom van't Hek
Coaches/Trainers		Maggie Souyave & Steve Colledge		Koen Pijpers & Carel van der Staak
Manager		Chris Pickett		Lisette Sevens
Physio		Mary McAllister		Johannes Veen
Doctor				Simone van Haarlem
Video Analyst		John Hurst		Roberto Tolentino

U18 GIRLS vs ZIMBABWE
THIRD MATCH: The weather continued to play havoc with many sporting events but this did not deter the SA U/18s from putting on a good display in their final outing at Randburg against their Zimbabwean counterparts. Leading 1-0 at the half from a goal by Elsabe Lombard, South Africa ran out 4-0 winners. Dalean de Kock, Rhea Kritzas and Kate Hector got on the scoresheet in the second period.

Umpires: Mary Parr & Jean Buchanan (RSA).

The coaching staff of both teams can be well-pleased with the performances of their charges during the series and we look forward to continuing the tradition of annual exchanges between South Africa and Zimbabwe in the years ahead.

SECOND MATCH: Played in unseasonally cold, wet and windy conditions at Randburg today (13 January), the South African U/18s scored a 3-2 victory over neighbours Zimbabwe, thus clinching the series.

Scorers for SA: Taryn Hosking (2) and Mariska van der Merwe. Caroline Newton and Lauren Henderson netted for Zimbabwe.

Umpires: Lesley Nunn (SA) and Sheryl van Breda (Zimbabwe).

The final match takes place at 09h30 on Saturday 15 January.

FIRST MATCH: The South African U/18 girls' team got off to a good start in the first of their three matches against Zimbabwe at the Randburg Stadium.

SA went into an early lead through a well-taken goal by Elsabe Lombard but could not find the net again until late in the second half. Zimbabwe played with great determination and but for some good 'keeping by SA's Angela Johnston who came on for captain Grazjyna Engelbrecht at the restart, the Zimbabweans may well have gone ahead. In the end, SA ran out winners three goals to nil. Lauren Klugkist and Dalean de Kock both scored for the home side with five minutes remaining in the match.

The second and third games will also be staged at Randburg: At 17h00 on Thursday 13 January and 09h30 on Saturday 15 January.

AFRICA CUP FOR CLUB CHAMPIONS
Teams from as far afield as Egypt, Namibia, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, along with hosts Zimbabwe, saw out the final day's play at the Africa Cup for Club Champions in Bulawayo yesterday.

Sharkia of Egypt again came out tops in the men's competition, defeating Bulawayo Athletic Club in the final. In the women's event, Sliders of Kenya proved too strong for Zimbabwe's Old Hararians.

Final placings:

Men		Women
1.	Sharkia�	1.	Sliders
2.	Bulawayo Athletic Club	2.	Old Hararians
3.	Kenya Defence Force	3.	Windhoek Ramblers
4.	Exchequers	4.	Bulawayo Athletic Club
5.	Old Hararians
6.	Simba
7.	Oranjemund

The reigning men's and women's club champions from South Africa - Jeppe Quondam and Old Edwardians respectively - did not compete in the event.

NEWS FROM THE AGM & COUNCIL MEETING, 19/20 NOVEMBER 1999
* The newly-elected Executive Board comprises Clare Digby, John Donald, Mickey Gordon, Brian Hibbert, Steve Jaspan and Charles Smith, with Shaune Baaitjies as a co-opted member. The Board will hold its next meeting on 6 December 1999.

* Rod Douglas, Peter Hollely, Colin Smith and Brian Stickells join the ranks of Honorary Life Members.

* Neil Hobkirk, Group Brand Manager of Castle Equity, presented the inaugural Castle Lite Awards and prizemoney totalling R60 000 - at a function on Friday evening, 19 November. The first recipients of these awards were:

� Trevor Cramer of The Citizen - Hockey Journalist of the Year
� Anne Laing - Photographer of the Year
� The Western Province Hockey Union - Province of the Year, for their all-round performance in administering the game
� The Eastern Province Hockey Federation - Development Programme of the Year, for their success in initiating new projects in historically disadvantaged areas
� Justin King - Men's Player of the Year
� Kerry Bee - Women's Player of the Year
� Gareth Murray & Karen Symons - Team Personalities of the Year, for their respective contributions to the success of the men's and women's national teams on and off the field.

* The Stewart McIldowie Trophy went to Gavin Cullen and the Dave & Helen Metter Award to Sid Clark.

* President's Awards for outstanding services to hockey in 1999 were presented to: Greg Beling, Mike Bolel, Sheila Brown, Fiona Coward, Pat Dreyer, Mickey Gordon, Godfrey Morley, Feico Mulder, Tinky Pringle, Louise Reinecke, Gideon Sam & Di Southey.

* Durban and Cape Town have been selected as the respective venues for the men's and women's senior IPTs next year. Port Elizabeth and Pretoria will play host to the U/21 women's and men's IPTs in the last week of April 2000.

* Steve Jaspan has been appointed to the Executive Board of the FIH.

* Umpires Jean Buchanan, Marelise de Klerk and John Wright have been appointed to the Olympic and World Cup Lists. Giles Bonnet and Gene Muller achieved top international high performance coaching honours - FIH Grade 1 and FIH respectively.

* The men's and women's national teams have both qualified for Sydney but a final decision regarding their selection for the SA Olympic Team to compete in the Games in 2000 lies with NOCSA.

Both teams can be proud of their many top-class performances in 1999, particularly on winning gold medals at the recent All Africa Games. In the year under review, they competed in a total of 46 full internationals, losing only 13 tests.

* On the basis of their 6th place world ranking, the SA women's team has secured an invitation to the Champions Trophy in May next year and will take on the might of the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia.

* For the second successive year, the Council resolved not to implement any increases in fees or levies, so all charges will remain at current levels for the benefit of all players and the provinces.

* On 30 November 1999, Clare Digby and Charles Smith will meet with Nconde Balfour, the Minister of Sport & Recreation, to discuss key performance areas and action plans and conclude a performance contract for SA Hockey.

Clare Digby

SA HOCKEY STARS GAIN AWARDS
Presidential Sports Awards for the 1998/99 year were presented to SA hockey stars Karen Roberts and Greg Nicol at a banquet at State House in Pretoria on Friday 5 November.

Both State President Thabo Mbeki and the Minister of Sport and Recreation Nconde Balfour were on hand to address the gathering and to hand-over the awards to SA's top performers. Karen received a gold medal and Greg silver for outstanding achievements at international level. Other medal winners included: Penny Heyns, Lance Klusener, Lucas Radebe, Joost van der Westhuizen, Jane Mandean, Tadhg Slattery, Johan Botha, Lesly Hartwell, Simon Hutcheon and Jacques Kallis.

Karen and Greg join an elite band and have done SA Hockey proud.

SA HOCKEY STARS HONOURED

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) recently announced the introduction of awards for the International Players of the Year to recognise the achievements of the world's top performers, men and women. The first edition of the awards will be presented late October 1999 in Alexandria, Egypt, as part of the FIH's 75th anniversary celebrations.

The South African Hockey Association (SAHA) is pleased to announce that both Greg Nicol and Karen Roberts are among the contenders for the inaugural awards.

Other nominees include: The Netherlands' Stephan Veen and Carole Thate, Australia's Jay Stacey and Alyson Annan, Russel Garcia and Karen Brown of England, Eun Young Lee of Korea, Atif Bashir of Pakistan and Mandy Smith of New Zealand.

Three South Africans, ace strikers Pietie Coetzee and Greg Nicol, and midfielder Caryn Bentley, have also been selected for the FIH President's World Elevens to play in exhibition matches in Alexandria on the occasion of the anniversary celebrations. Due to injury, Karen Roberts was not considered for selection.

The President's Elevens feature the world's best, drawn from all five continents, against Olympic Champions Australia in the women's match and Netherlands in the men's game. Both matches take place on 27th October 1999.

Other players selected for the "dream teams:"

Men's World XI: Damon Diletti (Australia), Sohail Abbas (Pakistan), Juan Escarre (Spain), Baljit Singh Dillon (India), Mirnawan Nawawi (Malaysia), Rudolfo Perez (Argentina), Florian Kunz (Germany), Peter Milkovich (Canada), Marc Coudron (Belgium) and Brett Leaver (NZ).

Women's World XI: Britta Becker, Heike Latch and Natasha Keller (Germany), Karen Brown (England), Tracey Fuchs (USA), Karina Masotta (Argentina), Mandy Smith and Robyn Mathews (NZ), Sita Gussein (India) and Ilsa Coetzee (Zimbabwe).

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