Fresh from winning the Asian Champions Trophy in Ranchi on Sunday, the Indian women’s hockey team will return to the same venue early next year to take part in the FIH Olympic Qualifiers – the last opportunity to make the cut for Paris 2024.
The international hockey federation (FIH) on Monday announced that India will be competing against Germany, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, United States, Italy and Czech Republic at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh AstroTurf Hockey Stadium from January 13 to 21 with the top three teams qualifying for next year’s Olympic Games.
“We came (to Ranchi) with a target. We wanted to set the record straight after the team fell short in the recent Asian Games. We wanted to claim gold here, especially since it was being held in India for the first time,” said skipper Savita Punia after India hammered Japan 4-0 in the final on Sunday.
“The whole team had a point to prove and I am glad we were able to do so. Now, for the FIH Olympic Qualifiers, we have time to prepare and ensure we come back and perform to the best of our abilities.”
Eight other teams – Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, South Korea, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia and Ukraine – will compete on the same dates in Valencia with the top three also earning Paris spots.
“We know we are good enough to qualify for the Paris Olympics and now it is just a matter of showing that you can perform at the same level again in the Women’s FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers after two months,” India chief coach Janneke Schopman said.
The men’s qualifiers will take place in Muscat and Valencia. The Indian men’s hockey team has already qualified for the Olympics by virtue of winning gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last month.