The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced on Friday that it has decided to "abandon" the trial of the new penalty corner rule because it does not want to make significant changes to the current set piece regulation, a glamorous feature of the game. The proposed rule states that all attackers, except the pusher at the backline, must begin at least five metres outside the "D," or striking circle, located 12 metres away from the goalpost.
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“FIH has decided to put on hold and abandon the new penalty corner rule trial. The format that was being considered during the trial will not be taken into consideration anymore,” FIH president Tayyab Ikram declared during the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai.
“In any case, we will not compromise on any measure that would lead to dangerous play and challenge the safety of our athletes. We need to ensure their safety. We want to keep the penalty corner as compact as possible, as it is not only enhancing goal-scoring but also giving glamour to our sport. We want to keep it that way,” he continued.
The new regulation was being tested to protect PC defenders. It would have given them more time to respond to events rather than sprint out to block drag-flicks, which are often struck at 150 kph. However, the FIH exercised caution since it was aware that the new regulation might have signalled the end of the drag-flick technique.
