Lausanne, Nov 29 (IANS): The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has signed a four-year partnership agreement with Dream11, Indias sports gaming platform, it was announced on Thursday.

Over the 2019-22 cycle, Dream11 will develop and operate the official fantasy games relating to all FIH events that include FIH Pro League (2019-22), FIH Series Finals (2019 and 2021), Olympic Qualifiers Men and Women (2019), Junior World Cups Men and Women (2021), World Cups Men and Women (2022).

This is the first time that FIH has associated with a fantasy game platform for hockey matches. Hockey fans will get the unique opportunity to select their fantasy hockey teams for all FIH global matches.

Announcing the partnership, FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: "I'm very pleased that Dream11 is a Global Partner of FIH for the men's World Cup and will deliver the official fantasy game for the next 4 years. This deal will help engage more people with hockey, in particular the current 45 million gamers on the Dream11 platform."

Commenting on the partnership, Harsh Jain, CEO and Co-Founder, Dream11, said: "We are happy to be the global Official Fantasy Game of FIH. The FIH Dream11 partnership marks the launch of a new sport on Dream11 and also the beginning of fantasy field hockey on a global scale."