KARACHI, Nov 30: Leandro Negre has been elected as the new president of the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

According to the press release of the FIH, the Spanish sports administrator was elected during the FIH Congress in Los Angeles, the United States, on Saturday for a four-year term.

Negre received more votes than his opponent Els van Breda Vriesman of the Netherlands who had been the president of the FIH since 2001. A total of 89 national associations were present at the Congress.

Pakistan Hockey Federation president Qasim Zia, secretary Asif Bajwa and selector Rana Mujahid represented Pakistan.

Negre, who is also the president of the European Hockey Federation, said: “I am glad to be elected and I would like to thank national associations for voting me and Els van Breda Vriesman for the excellent work she did for hockey.”

Meanwhile, the FIH welcomed five new associations, namely Mongolia, Qatar, Togo, Vanuatu and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The number of FIH member countries has now increased to 127.—APP