FIH announces 2016-17 Hockey World League Round 2 hosts

THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY FEDERATION (FIH) on Wednesday confirmed that six countries will host the 2016-17 Hockey World League (HWL) Round 2 events in early 2017.

The three men's competitions will take place in Tacarigua (Trinidad & Tobago), Dublin (Ireland) and Dhaka (Bangladesh) while the women's tournaments will take place in Vancouver (Canada), Valencia (Spain) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

"We are delighted to announce these six venues for the HWL Round 2. We had an unprecedented number of exceptional applications to host these events which made the decision making process extremely difficult; 24 bids from cities around the world were received, which provides further evidence of the growing global spread of our sport," FIH chief executive officer Kelly Fairweather said.

Following the confirmation of the HWL Round 2 hosts, FIH is now finalising the venues and teams for the HWL Round 1 tournaments, which will be held in 2016. Composed of four rounds and played over two years, the HWL takes place at venues around the world.

The 2016-17 HWL will decide which teams will qualify alongside the continental champions and hosts for the 2018 World Cups in England (women) and India (men).

The 2014-15 HWL will conclude at the end of this year. The 2015 men's HWL Final will take place in Raipur, India, between November 27 and December 6 while the women's HWL Final will be held in Rosario, Argentina, between December 5 and 13.