Eventually that may well happen, but at present FIH does not have the human or financial resources to manage Masters Hockey. Masters Hockey has more teams and events each year than FIH. Also, FIH lacks experience of the very different approaches required to organise and manage Masters Hockey.
The essence of Masters Hockey is its flexibility and its empathy for the participants and the wider hockey family. It isn’t all about winning matches or qualifying for the latter stages of world or continental championships, as is the case at FIH Events. There are other layers which are more inclusive and do not focus solely on the needs and desires of the elite athletes. Having said that, every Masters Hockey player is an elite athlete at their age group. Who can argue against that when O80s are competing for their country on a hockey pitch at a WMH Tournament!
The obedience of Anti-doping regulations is vital for FIH to retain IOC recognition and funding. Masters Hockey recognises and acknowledges the importance of these regulations, but cannot adhere to them without destroying the sport.
Many of the more mature Masters Hockey players require daily medication to keep them alive and a substantial number of these drugs are on the IOC’s prohibited list because they will enhance a player’s performance. In reality, the medical conditions, which dictate the taking of these performance enhancing drugs, tends to reduce the player’s performance level, cancelling out any advantages. Banning these players would have a serious negative impact upon the number of Masters Hockey participants, teams and events. This, in turn, would destroy the very reason for supporting Masters Hockey and the benefits it brings to individuals, their clubs and hockey in general.