HOCKEY

Claudia Applewhaite, a stalwart member of the now defunct Rockets Hockey Club during its “glory days” 1968- 1975, has died.

Notre Dame’s Darren Cowie will lead a youthful T&T senior men’s hockey team into battle against host Brazil from 3 pm today in Rio de Janiero, Brazil when the four-team Olympic Test Event flicks off until Saturday. In the day’s opening match, Chile and Mexico will face off from 12.30 pm.

There are three classes of competitive hockey played today; Field hockey, Ice hockey and Roller hockey. Existing evidence suggests raw forms of hockey notably stick and ball games were played in ancient Egypt and Ethiopia some 4,000 years ago and in other historic civilizations. The modern day field hockey evolved in England in the mid-18th century, primarily around schools.

The sport has been part of the Summer Olympic Games continually since 1928 after making its debut at London, 1908 (Subsequently being dropped from Stockholm 1912 and Paris 1924) and the Commonwealth Games in 1998. The International Hockey Federation (IHF) was founded in 1924 after the Paris organizers refused to include hockey on the basis that the sport had no International Federation.

The Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board over sees hockey in Trinidad and Tobago.