Tokyo, Japan, April 13, 2026: The President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Tayyab Ikram, discussed the future of hockey with Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado during a visit to Tokyo.
"Very honoured to meet Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado on the occasion of the first meeting of the FIH Executive Board, held this week in Japan’s capital city,” Tayyab said in an FIH social media post.
“I congratulated her on the qualification of both Japanese hockey national teams, women and men, for the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 taking place in Belgium and the Netherlands in August this year. I took this opportunity to present her with World Cup tickets for both men and women.
“I also expressed my congratulations for the great performance of Japanese athletes in Milano-Cortina.
“I look forward to further opportunities to discuss the development of hockey in Japan and beyond with Her Imperial Highness, who is also the patron of Japan hockey, in the future."
*The FIH President also met with the President of the Japanese Olympic Committee, seven-time Olympian Seiko Hashimoto.
“I expressed our deepest gratitude to her for her unwavering support of sport in general, and hockey in particular, over the years, and for her outstanding work and commitment at the helm of the organising committee of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which were held under very challenging circumstances, as we all remember.”
*Later in the week, Tayyab greeted all the players on the pitch as the women’s national teams of Japan and Korea played a test match at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo, venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic hockey tournaments.
“On this occasion, I gave them their ticket to the World Cup and underlined how much the Oi Hockey Stadium symbolises the great legacy of the Olympic Games for the development of hockey around the world," Tayyab said.
