Egypt's Seif Ahmed has been appointed by the FIH as Acting President following the resignation of Narinder Batra ©FIH

Egypt's Seif Ahmed has been appointed as the Acting President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) following the resignation of India's Narinder Batra on Monday (July 18), it has been announced.

A permanent successor to Batra is due to be elected in November.

The appointment of Ahmed, President of the African Hockey Federation (AfHF), who has been involved in the sport for more than 60 years, was announced following an FIH Executive Board meeting, which officially accepted Batra's resignation. 

The Executive Board also confirmed following the meeting that this year's FIH Congress is due to be held virtually, as planned, on November 4 and 5, with election to choose a new President scheduled for the second day. 

Ahmed was a member of Egypt’s national team in 1968 and has a long association with the sport as both an umpire and a technical official. 

He was formerly treasurer of the AfHF for nine years before being elected President in 2004. 

Ahmed has been a member on the FIH Executive Board since 2001. 

Seif Ahmed has been President of the African Hockey Federation since 2004 ©Getty Images
Seif Ahmed has been President of the African Hockey Federation since 2004 ©Getty Images

Batra had caved into pressure earlier this week and announced he was resigning as President of both the FIH and Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

It followed a Delhi High Court ruling last month that Batra should stop acting as IOA President in a case related to his controversial position as life member at Hockey India.

The court also decided that a three-member Committee of Administrators should be placed to run Hockey India's day-to-day affairs.

The hearing took place after a petition from Aslam Sher Khan, a former Indian hockey player, challenged Batra's appointment as life member of Hockey India.

The FIH Executive Board announced today that it had decided to send a delegation to India soon, in order to assess the current situation of Hockey India.

The issue is especially pressing as the next FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup is currently planned to take place in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in January next year.

Narinder Batra, right, stepped down as FIH President having held the position since 2016 ©Getty Images
Narinder Batra, right, stepped down as FIH President having held the position since 2016 ©Getty Images

Batra had first been elected as FIH President in 2016, with his first term being extended due to the COVID-19 crisis delaying elections until last year.

He won a second term after beating Belgium's Marc Coudron by two votes in a closely-fought election at an online Congress.

Batra's decision to step down as head of the IOA meant he automatically lost his place on the International Olympic Committee, as his membership was tied to his role at the National Olympic Committee. 

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