CASE STUDY 1 International Hockey Federation (FIH) The International Hockey Federation (FIH), the global governing body for field hockey, is embedding sustainable innovation and resource stewardship at the core of its growth strategy. As a signatory of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework,73 FIH has positioned itself as a leading actor in the sport ecosystem, employing high- profile partnerships throughout the sports economy to drive positive environmental and social impact. Field hockey is well established in mature markets such as the UK, continental Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and is experiencing robust growth in emerging regions across Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to remain the largest market through 2030, with India playing a pivotal role in audience engagement and commercial revenues, driven by a passionate domestic following, innovative event formats, national team success and renewed investment in professional leagues. Parallel growth is evident in countries including Pakistan, Malaysia,74 Argentina,75 Chile,76 South Africa,77 Egypt78 and Oman.79 With much of field hockey’s expansion occurring in regions facing acute climate and nature risks, FIH is proactively collaborating throughout the sports economy to pilot and scale solutions that reduce resource consumption and broaden participation. This includes mobilizing sporting goods and equipment innovators, such as turf manufacturers,80 and working with global governance partners such as the International Olympic Committee. A major area of innovation is hockey turf technology. Traditionally, water-based hockey pitches require more than 10,000 litres of water per match to maintain optimal playability.81 Advances in synthetic turf reduced water use by up to 60% between the London 2012 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.82 FIH is now driving a full transition to dry or non-irrigated synthetic turfs,83 already implemented in its Hockey5s format tournaments,84 which have gained significant popularity in recent years. Scaling this technology across approximately 2,000 water-based pitches worldwide could save an estimated 7.6 billion litres of water annually,85 enough to supply more than 45,000 households each year.86 To further accelerate this transition, FIH is piloting self-wetting hockey balls, which are briefly submerged before play and gradually release water during the game, maintaining elite- level performance on dry fields.87 While synthetic, plastic-based turf has enabled widespread access to high-quality sport surfaces, its environmental footprint, including resource use and end-of-life disposal, remains a challenge. FIH is actively collaborating with industry partners, researchers and other stakeholders to accelerate the development and adoption of environmentally compatible playing surfaces. This includes supporting the development of environmental footprinting tools by the EMEA Synthetic Turf Council88 and partnering with turf manufacturer Poligras to deliver the first hockey turf for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games made from waste by-products of the sugarcane industry,89 a pioneering approach at the elite level. FIH’s leadership in sustainability was formally recognized with the 2024 International Olympic Committee Climate Action Award,90 underscoring its commitment to driving positive change across the global sport ecosystem. Sports for People and Planet 26

Sports for People and Planet 2026