The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has come to the rescue of the Sri Lanka Hockey Association by sponsoring the installation of two hockey turfs.

The two surfaces will be installed in the capital of Colombo and in Matale. Both surfaces will meet the highest international quality criteria for hockey. This includes being blue.

The blue Polytan Astro hockey turf surface is usually valued at USD 500,000. However, as the AHF will pick up part of the bill, the Sri Lanka Hockey Association will only have to pay USD 235,000 per field.

Contested

Ever since the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, FIH has been pursuing a blue surface, as the contrast with the white ball allows for better registration by TV cameras.

It is a view that is not shared by everybody. This includes the Dutch hockey association KNHB, whose national hockey stadium Wagner Stadium is situated in a forested area just south of Amsterdam.

Here, the blue surface sticks out like a sore thumb and has caused confusion amongst birds flying over. To ensure the surface of the national hockey stadium blends in with the woods, the field of the Wagner Stadium is replaced with a green coloured surface as soon as an international tournament is over.