USA Field Hockey International Games

Updated on December 12, 2008

As the national governing body for the sport of field hockey in the United States, USA Field Hockey selects and trains teams to participate in the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, World Cup and other international competitions.

With its origins in ancient Greece, the Olympic Games are held every four years as a celebration of peace and harmony through sports. In 1998, International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch declared the sport of field hockey would remain on the Olympic programme "forever".

The United States also joins teams from Canada, Central America, South America and the Caribbean in competing for the continental championship at the Pan American Games. The Pan American Games are held every four years in the year preceding the Olympic Games.

The World Cup represents the world championship of the sport of field hockey. The 1998 World Cup in Utrecht, The Netherlands, was the first to include both men's and women's tournaments concurrently running in the same host city.

The FIH's premier annual event, the Champions Trophy is a six-team tournaments featuring the world's top-ranked teams competing for the Champions Trophy title.

USA Field Hockey also trains teams to compete in junior competitions such as the Junior Pan American Games and Junior World Cup.