Still Blue...

However, some thought that the experience had not actually been successful, the IHF and the Organising Committee of the Rio Olympic Games have confirmed that they have opted for a blue field as a hockey play surface for 2016. Moreover, this will be exactly the same coating that was used during the 2012 Olympics in London. This will be installed in the Olympic Hockey Centre, based in Deodoro, in northern Rio de Janeiro. Three years ago, the transition to a blue field was a first. It provided a high level of contrast, with the yellow ball and white lines, for players, umpires, spectators, photographers, and television channels.

Kelly Fairweather, the CEO of the International Hockey Federation, explains this continuity in simple terms: “The blue field used during the London Games has enabled the sport to receive tremendous interest on the part of most media, as well as be one of the most broadcasted sports during the Olympics. Besides that, we are convinced that this adds to the spectator’s experience not only around the field but also via television and internet. “

What else?

Artificial turf was introduced for the first time at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Up to the Games in London, the playing surface had always been green as a testament to the sport’s roots on turf.