International hockey federation earns nomination from IOC for "wet hockey ball" designed at UGent
(26-08-2024) The International Hockey Federation has been nominated for the Climate Action Awards '24, an initiative of the International Olympic Committee. They earned a spot in part through the introduction of wet hockey balls, developed at... Ghent University.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently announced the finalists for the 2024 Climate Action Awards. With that award, the IOC celebrates organizations within the Olympic Movement that are taking climate action.
Also on the list of finalists: the International Hockey Federation (FIH), in the “Category International Federations (IF)”. The reason for their nomination is twofold. First, because they are introducing wet field hockey balls, and second, because they are having new Dry Turf developed for the fields.
Professor Dagmar D'hooge and his team developed those wet field hockey balls, that release water at the point of contact between the ball, the surface and the stick, to ensure the sport can be played at the highest level on dry turf. The project is part of the FIH’s wide-ranging sustainability strategy and a comprehensive carbon reduction plan, which includes the first-ever carbon zero artificial turf, which is currently being used at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Want to know more about the development of self-moistening field hockey balls? Read the article on Dare to Think: New field hockey ball saves thousands of litres of water per game
https://olympics.com/ioc/sustainability/ioc-climate-action-awards/2024