Editorial 

One aspect which makes editing this magazine so enjoyable is the wide range of contact I have with all parts of the world. There never seems to be a shortage of news from every corner of the globe and in this issue we focus on a tiny country most people have probably never heard of, and if they have, don’t know much about – Netherlands Antilles.

While they may not have the resources to rival some of their more illustrious Pan American opponents at the moment, they are certainly taking impressive strides towards improving their world ranking. 

So too have Argentina, surprise victors in the recent men’s Sahara Hockey Champions Challenge in Alexandria. Thanks to their experienced penalty corner ace Jorge Lombi, the South Americans defeated Korea in the final and booked their place at the 2006 Champions Trophy. 

Elisabeth Fürst, FIH’s webmaster in Egypt, gives her account of the tournament and we also have a personality profile on Thierry Renaer, the Belgium captain who led his side to the bronze medal. 

While the focus of the international sporting world continues to dissect the respective bids of the cities hoping to host the 2012 Olympic Games, FIH continues its busy programme. Along with the women’s BDO Hockey Champions Challenge in the USA in July, there are also two Junior World Cups on the horizon. 

Claire Middleton charts the success of former Junior World Cup stars and talks to some leading coaches who examine the relevance of these events. 

Roger Webb, the newly appointed Technical Manager at FIH, is also profiled and we have our usual feature on development. 

Two Australian umpires, Minka Woolley and Murray Grime, are to be congratulated on their awards as Hockey Australia officials of the year and in this issue, Minka reveals a few facts about herself we didn’t know! 

Thank you for your continued support. Enjoy this issue. 

Cathy Harris – Editor
cjharris@btinternet.com