The Yves-du-Manoir Olympic Stadium in Colombes, just an hour from Paris by public transport, is the epicentre of the world's best hockey players in the final stages of their competitions.

In the same stadium where the 1924 Paris Olympics were held, Inside The Games received a warm welcome from FIH President Tayyab Ikram. The Macau-born Ikram discussed a range of topics including the relationship with the IOC, the organisation of the Paris 2024 Games, the present and future of hockey, and even touched on the controversy surrounding the inspirational stories of boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, as well as issues of equality and inclusion in sport.

When asked about the level of hockey at Paris 2024, the FIH President said, "I think this is one of the few Olympics where the level of hockey and the competitiveness has been very close. In both tournaments (men's and women's), the finals are wide open right up to the quarter-finals and beyond. For the first time, it was not easy to predict the winner. It shows that the level of competition is very high.

Referring to previous Olympics, he added: "This has happened in very few Olympics. The teams have developed and improved since the last tournaments. We are very happy with the wonderful athletes we have at the Olympics".

As the conversation progressed, the topic shifted to a comparison between the World Cup and the Olympics, where in some sports, such as basketball, players place more importance on the Olympic event than the World Cup.

In response, the president, who was elected to replace the outgoing Narinder Dhruv Batra in 2022, said: "The World Cup is very important but as you said, the Olympic spirit is different. The country represents itself, the whole delegation represents itself. And I think that is more valuable than the Olympics and Olympism. The atmosphere you have in the Olympic Village is a different experience for the athletes, it's something different. There is no competition between the Olympics and the World Championships."

He distinguished this from what happens in football, for example: "An Olympic match is an Olympic match and a World Cup is not. In football, for example, they are different, they are not the same teams. Our situation is that they are complementary. Both tournaments are very important, but the Olympic game itself has a very unique position; it is something completely different for hockey. It is very important for all the athletes."

"Playing in the Olympics is very different from playing in the World Cup or other tournaments. And yes, when you are out of the Olympics, there are some tournaments that are very important to you and you want to be called World Cup champion, World Champion. They also have different values," he said.

As the minutes ticked by, the conversation turned to the organisational aspect of the IOC and some of the problems athletes have encountered in the Olympic Village. In fact, one major problem involved athletes from his hockey federation.

Las Leonas, the Argentine women's hockey team, had to leave the building where they were staying because the toilets were overflowing with sewage and they had no water for showers, according to the rugby sevens coach (the two sports are closely linked in the South American country), who told national television on his return home.

He said: "I think our support so far has been excellent. Of course there are small logistical problems at the beginning, but I must say that the support from the Olympic Village Commission has been very quick. And the support from the people around it as well. When we were told that we had to help our athletes in a better way, the support was excellent."

Inevitably, the discussion touched on current Olympic affairs, including perhaps the most significant issue to attract global media attention - the controversy surrounding boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting. Ikram commented, "I can't talk about this particular case because I don't know the details.

While he was cautious about the specific case, he took the opportunity to express his and the FIH's stance on issues of inclusion and gender equality. "These are very important to us. We play in the same team. We follow the IOC rules. It's important to have inclusion and gender equality so that everyone can participate".

Towards the end of the interview, there was time to discuss the current state of the federation, which will need to be renewed with a new mandate at the congress in Oman in early November.

"We are very happy with the reaction of the spectators and the large number of people in the stadium. They create a very special atmosphere for our athletes. That's what the Olympic Games give you, it's something unique, the atmosphere you experience. We have to learn from this Olympic experience to take us to another level. We have learned here to take a leap in level and improve in the future." he said.

On future improvements in hockey, he elaborated: "We want to improve the experience of our fans, more and better experiences beyond the competition and the results. We want to improve their experience, both inside and outside the stadiums. We want to engage the fans through different media, through different social media, through television, through digital platforms."

With the conversation inevitably turning to Paris 2024, but using the first-hand experience to learn from the IOC, Ikram said: "These games were an opportunity after the Tokyo Olympics, where spectators couldn't participate, despite the IOC's efforts to get them online."

"Our tickets were sold out and we had a great experience with the fans in the stadium and also digitally. There were certain areas that we wanted to showcase as a federation because the International Olympic Committee made a great innovation. We should try to learn from them in order to be more advanced and present our sport," Ikram said.

In a broader vision of what lies ahead after Paris 2024, Ikram said: "We need to start thinking about Los Angeles 2028 and then Brisbane 2032. We have to look to the future. What is the best way to engage our fans? What is the best way to showcase our athletes in a better and more attractive way? And those are the areas where my mission with my team would be to improve for Los Angeles, to provide a better experience for our athletes first, for our hockey community and for our fans. The sport is moving towards the fans in and out of the rinks."

Finally, he reflected on his tenure and goals, looking ahead to the presidential election he will face in Oman in November: "In my tenure, we started with a programme of cooperation and empowerment. Also with our development project. We are working better with our partners, my national associations, and trying to give them more opportunities for the future. With top level competitions and then with second and even third level competitions."

On the global expansion of hockey, he said: "We would like to have 40 to 45 nations competing at different levels in our international competitions and that is a process that is ongoing at the moment. We have also started a small strokes project to offer maximum hockey strokes and provide them with better equipment and technical experience".

"As FIH President, my mission is to engage with every category and every national association to improve hockey and we have achieved a lot in the last few months," concluded Ikram.