Belgian hockey has become the latest nation to make face masks mandatory.
For all youth categories from U10 onwards, wearing a protective mask is already mandatory for all players defending a penalty corner. Now it will also come into force for all adult competitions.
It became mandatory in the Belgian League at the end of March and in other adult competitions from September 1. Masks were already mandatory in all youth categories.
“It is of course strongly recommended to wear a penalty corner mask for the adults now, but we want to give all teams the time to purchase the necessary masks,” the Belgium federation said.
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“Defenders who do not wear a mask at the beginning of the penalty corner phase will not be allowed to participate in the phase and will have to sit behind the halfway line.”
Meanwhile, England Hockey is “aware” that the FIH announced that it was now mandatory for all players to wear a face mask when defending penalty corners in all FIH competitions (indoor and outdoor) involving international teams.
But EH is seeking further clarification from the FIH “on how they see this impacting different parts of the game.”
For now, the current England Hockey policy on the wearing of face masks remains unchanged.
The policy states – “England Hockey strongly recommends that face masks should be worn across all age groups and playing formats when defending a penalty corner.” It is recommended that players continue to adhere with the policy until such time that there further guidance on the implementation of the FIH’s recommendation.
EuroHockey implemented a mandatory face mask policy at all EuroHockey events from March 1.
The FIH took the decision earlier this year to make it mandatory for all players when defending penalty corners to wear a face mask.
This measure has been taken in order to further protect players when defending during this very special moment of the game of hockey.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “Athletes’ welfare is on top of our priorities. Therefore, it goes without saying that their safety cannot be compromised.
