It is official: the presidency of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) will be decided between two candidates. The body has confirmed the identity of the two rivals vying to succeed India’s Narinder Batra, who resigned last July. They are Marc Coudron from Belgium (pictured above) and Tayyab Ikram from Macau, China. The election is due to take place on 5 November during the FIH Congress. For Marc Coudron, the former international player and ex-president of the Royal Belgian Hockey Association, this will be the second consecutive election. The Belgian leader was beaten by two votes last year by Narinder Batra for the top job. He is tipped to be the favourite against Tayyab Ikram, the director general of the Asian Hockey Confederation, who is currently a member of the FIH executive board. The winner will be elected for a half term of two years, until 2024, the end of Narinder Batra’s initial term.
