The company, which sponsored the men’s Hockey World League final in Raipur in 2015, was also the title sponsor for the men's FIH Champions Trophy one year later. 

"Hero MotoCorp has been one of the largest corporate promoters of sports across the world," Hero's head of corporate communication and corporate social responsibility Bharatendu Kabi said. 

"In keeping with this commitment, we are glad to support Fédération Internationale de Hockey in staging the inaugural Hockey 5s, a brand-new format added to the sport of hockey. 

"As the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, Hero has always been at the forefront of sustainable technology and innovation.

"We congratulate FIH for introducing a new format with a fast-paced game that involves high levels of skill and aimed at further increasing the reach and popularity of the sport. 

"With 5s, fans around the world will get to watch a great exhibition of hockey in action over the course of two days in Lausanne in the summer."

The competition was originally scheduled to be held in September last year, but was postponed due to COVID-19 and has now been re-arranged for June 4 and 5 in the Swiss city. 

India and Pakistan will headline a men’s competition also set to include hosts Switzerland, along with Malaysia and Poland.

In the women's competition, teams from India, Switzerland and Poland are due to perform at the Place de la Navigation in the Olympic capital, alongside South Africa and Uruguay. 

The purpose of the World Hockey5s event is to introduce the five-a-side discipline to those who are not yet familiar with hockey, as well as engaging with existing fans.

"We’re delighted to have Hero as title sponsor of our inaugural Hockey5s international tournament in Lausanne," FIH chief executive Thierry Weil said. 

"This demonstrates once more the deep commitment of Hero to be a leader in the development of hockey worldwide. 

"FIH is determined to grow hockey globally and we’re convinced that Hockey5s has a great potential to contribute significantly to the fulfilment of this objective. 

"It is therefore particularly encouraging to be supported in our vision by such a strong and faithful hockey partner.

"On behalf of FIH, I would like to extend our sincerest thanks and appreciation to Hero."

An inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s World Cup is due to take place in Oman in 2024. 

The sport has been likened to Twenty20 cricket, 3x3 basketball or rugby sevens and was played at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics, where it is claimed more than 200,000 spectators watched the event.