Cape Town: The World Masters Hockey World Cup 2024 kicked off in the Mother City on Saturday, October 12, 2024 with four venues hosting the games. Almost 2300 athletes from more than 20 countries are taking part in this biennial tournament.
The tournament is being held at the Hartleyvale Hockey Stadium, Western Province Cricket Club and the astro turfs at the Wynberg Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools.
Reportedly, the World Masters Hockey World Cup will run until October 21, 2024. The tournament will feature women’s teams in over 35 and over 40 categories. In the men’s section, teams will compete in the over 35, over 40, over 65, over 70, over 75 and over 80 categories.
It is for the second time, the competition is being held in Cape Town, with the Mother City playing as host to the inaugural World Masters Hockey World Cup 2022.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that the event in 2022 was the first ever on the African continent. It was a wonderful addition to Cape Town’s already diverse events calendar.
Alderman Smith said that the World Masters Hockey World Cup presents an opportunity to put on another world-class event that will showcase the sport of field hockey and will shine the spotlight on Cape Town as a premier tourism destination to the over 2000 visiting players, their families and the global audience who will be watching the tournament on livestream.
The City of Cape Town is partnering with the SA Masters Hockey. It is an organization which is responsible for masters field hockey for the last 50 years.
Considering this, President of SA Masters Hockey – Reg Marais said that a massive spin-off of the World Cup is that the age divisions attract players who make it more than just playing in a hockey tournament, often including options such as safaris in their visits, creating an impact on the economy.
He also mentioned that about 2300 athletes will be coming to South Africa, from a tourism perspective, and they estimate that anything between R150 million and R250 million will be injected into the Cape Town economy.
The tournament will also host a series of other side events for the visiting players to explore Cape Town, immerse themselves in the country’s culture and network with one another.
Additionally, a legacy day will be held at the Hartleyvale Hockey Stadium to benefit in emerging the hockey players. Entry to all the World Masters Hockey World Cup games is free.