The 12 finest groups (males’s and ladies’s) from around the globe are converging in Paris as we countdown to the ultimate few days until the beginning of the Hockey competitors on the Olympic Video games Paris 2024! Every staff comes with the intention of standing on the Olympic podium, whereas just one can declare the gold medal on the finish of the Video games.
The primary impediment for all groups within the occasion come within the type of their pool opponents. The 12 groups have been cut up into two swimming pools of 6 groups every, with the highest 4 groups from every pool qualifying for the quarterfinals. In in the present day’s preview, meet the groups in Pool A of the lads’s competitors, and discover out the distinctive enjoying types they are going to carry to Paris.
Netherlands
The Netherlands boasts a formidable Olympic monitor document, having secured gold on the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Video games, together with 4 silver and three bronze medals. Nevertheless, after ending sixth on the postponed Tokyo 2020 Video games – their worst Olympic efficiency since Los Angeles 1984, the place in addition they positioned sixth – the staff is set to remind everybody of their distinctive talents.
Below the steerage of head coach Jeroen Delmee, the celebrated Dutch defender and two-time Olympic gold medallist, the Netherlands have achieved a exceptional consistency of their efficiency. Since taking cost in late 2021, Delmee has infused the Oranje squad with recent expertise, a daring transfer that has yielded important rewards. The staff has secured two first-place finishes and one second-place end within the final three FIH Hockey Professional League seasons, received a World Cup bronze medal in India in early 2023, and claimed their seventh European title by triumphing within the EuroHockey Championships 2023 in Mönchengladbach, Germany, securing their ticket to Paris 2024 within the course of.
The Netherlands squad chosen by Delmee for Paris 2024 has all of the attributes wanted to be thought-about critical title contenders. Pirmin Blaak, the FIH Hockey Stars Goalkeeper of the Yr for 2023, is with out query one of many most interesting shotstoppers in world hockey, whereas the talent and creativity of Thierry Brinkman, Jorrit Croon and Seve Van Ass will probably be potent weapons. Having registered 15 targets in 15 FIH Hockey Professional League matches this season, penalty nook skilled Jip Janssen is a prized asset able to producing match successful moments.
Head Coach Jeroen Delmee: “Because the reigning European champions, we’re in fact one of many contenders for an Olympic medal. The sector of individuals is extraordinarily sturdy. Now we have performed the whole lot we are able to to compete for the prizes. We will’t wait to point out the world what we’re able to.”
Germany
With 4 Olympic gold medals, three World Cup wins and eight European titles, Germany are one among hockey’s true powerhouse nations. Tactically astute and technically excellent, Die Honamas have a behavior of hitting kind forward of Olympic Video games and World Cups, a reality confirmed by their sensational triumph on the FIH Odisha Hockey Males’s World Cup 2023, performed on Indian soil in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.
Their performances in India had been vastly spectacular, with the staff coached by grasp tactician André Henning – named Coach of the Yr within the 2023 FIH Hockey Stars Awards – rising unbeaten from a pool containing 2018 world champions and reigning Olympic gold medallists Belgium in addition to Japan and Korea earlier than producing a string of good performances within the knock-out phases. Their semi-final conflict towards Oceania giants Australia will stay lengthy within the reminiscence, as penalty nook weapon Gonzalo Peillat and speedy attacker Niklas Wellen scored twice within the ultimate 90 seconds give Germany a shocking 4-3 triumph. Wellen and Peillat – the person who fired Argentina to Olympic gold at Rio 2016 – had been once more on the right track within the gold medal match towards Belgium, as the 2 European giants performed out a beautiful 3-3 draw earlier than Germany snatched their third World Cup crown in a drama-filled shoot-out.
Wellen and Peillat are removed from being the one superstars within the Germany squad, with good attacker Christopher Rühr, captain Mats Grambusch and Jean-Paul Danneberg – shortlisted for the FIH Hockey Stars Goalkeeper of the Yr 2023 award –simply a few of the many world class gamers they’ve at their disposal. On the delayed Olympic Video games Tokyo 2020, a slender defeat by the hands of India within the bronze medal match noticed Germany miss out on a podium end for the primary time since Sydney 2000, one thing they are going to be eager to rectify at Paris 2024.
Head Coach André Henning: “This might be the closest males’s hockey competitors on the Olympic Video games ever. Among the many prime 6 groups on this planet, just about each staff has overwhelmed the others lately. So from the quarter-finals onwards, there will probably be fully open duels at eye stage. We all know our strengths and know that on day we are able to beat all our rivals. A medal is unquestionably inside our attain – even gold. As you already know, I desire to concentrate on motion targets. If we need to end on the rostrum, we now have to take management of what we are able to management in order that we are able to ship the most effective efficiency underneath the best stress.”
Nice Britain
It has been 36 years since Nice Britain’s males final medalled at an Olympic Video games, however there’s a real sense of optimism that their barren run since successful gold at Seoul 1988 might lastly finish in Paris this 12 months. Crew GB have secured podium finishes within the final two editions of the elite FIH Hockey Professional League, being runners up on 2022-23 and ending third in 2023-24, whereas 4 successive wins on the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers, performed in Muscat (OMA) in January, sealed their ticket to Paris earlier than struggling a 1-0 defeat by the hands of Germany within the competitors ultimate. Ace striker Sam Ward netted eight occasions in Muscat to complete because the event’s prime scorer, his tally being twice as many as his nearest rivals within the scoring charts.
The boys’s squad incorporates a promising mixture of debutants and Olympians with captain David Ames and Ward representing Crew GB for the third time whereas Jacob Draper, Rupert Shipperley, Phil Roper, Ollie Payne, Jack Waller and Liam Sanford have been chosen for his or her second Video games. The squad comprises seven gamers making their Olympic debut together with Gareth Furlong and rising star Conor Williamson, who each debuted for GB on this season’s FIH Hockey Professional League. The staff is coached by vastly skilled, extremely revered South African Paul Revington, who has held teaching roles with South Africa males, Malaysia males in addition to two spells with the England and GB set-up. Match, fearless and supremely proficient, Nice Britain have confirmed able to not simply competing, however beating the perfect groups on this planet.
Head Coach Paul Revington: “Now we have a staff touring out to Paris who enter the Video games with stage of kind and consistency of efficiency over the previous a number of months. The chosen gamers and wider squad have all continued with preparation and ultimate touches in the previous couple of days of coaching at Bisham. We’re able to get began and I do know the group will take pleasure in attending to the Olympic village earlier than focusing once more and giving their finest on the sphere of play.”
Spain
Famend for his or her aptitude, talent, and attacking prowess, the Spanish males’s staff is among the many most proficient and unpredictable squads on this planet. The Pink Sticks have commonly produced sides which are able to preventing for the most important honours within the sport, a reality confirmed by 5 silver medals at Olympic or World Cup stage, to not point out two European championships and a Champions Trophy title.
Their staff boasts distinctive skills similar to elegant captain Marc Miralles, seasoned midfielder Alvaro Iglesias – Spain’s most skilled participant with 230 caps – and Joaquin Menini, a participant who received Olympic gold with Argentina at Rio 2016. Main them is the extremely revered head coach and former Argentina worldwide Max Caldas, who beforehand achieved exceptional success with the Netherlands’ ladies’s and males’s groups, guiding the previous to World Cup and Olympic victories and the latter to 2 European Championship titles.
Spain secured a berth at Paris on the 2024 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier on dwelling soil in Valencia, reaching the semi-finals unbeaten earlier than targets from Rafael Vilallonga and Miralles earned a 2-0 victory over Eire to safe their Olympic ticket. Regardless of an eight place end out of 9 within the 2023-24 FIH Hockey Professional League, the mixture of supremely gifted athletes and world class coach makes Spain a harmful opponent for all.
Crew Captain Álvaro Iglesias: “Now we have had an amazing preparation for the Olympics and we’re very assured on our prospects. Now we have to go and play to win each sport, which isn’t the identical as successful each sport”
France
Host nation France are collaborating of their first Olympic males’s hockey competitors in 52 years, with their final look coming on the 1972 Olympiad in Munich, Germany. Their return to the Olympic stage has been a very long time coming, and whereas their ticket to Paris 2024 was granted by advantage of being hosts, the staff’s latest progress ensures that the house favourites will probably be fiercely aggressive. In 2018, Les Bleus arrived in Bhubaneswar, India for his or her first FIH Males’s World Cup for 28 years. In the identical pool as Rio 2016 Olympic champions Argentina, Spain, and New Zealand, many anticipated them to be on the primary aircraft out of India. Nevertheless, after struggling a slender opening match defeat towards the Black Sticks, Les Bleus achieved a set of outcomes which might see them go all the best way to the World Cup quarter finals. A draw with higher-ranked Spain was adopted by a shocking 5-3 victory over Argentina, sealing their place within the knock-out phases of the competitors, the place they beat China to achieve the quarter-finals earlier than their magnificent run was dropped at an finish by Australia.
Whereas their thirteenth placement on the 2023 FIH Males’s World Cup was under expectations, France – now coached by legendary former participant Frederic Soyez – have commonly confirmed themselves able to mixing it with the perfect. They registered beautiful victories towards India, Argentina and South Africa within the FIH Hockey Professional League 2021-22, completed fifth within the 2023 EuroHockey Nations Championships and grabbed the silver medal on this 12 months’s FIH Hockey Nations Cup, the place penalty nook ace Victor Charlet completed joint prime scorer with seven targets. Towering defender Charlet and excellent attacking expertise Timothée Clément are prone to be key gamers for France of their quest for glory at Paris 2024.
Crew Captain Viktor Lockwood: “We need to benefit from this unimaginable occasion that’s the Olympic Video games at dwelling to advertise hockey in France. And for that, it requires good performances on the pitch. Now we have ready like by no means earlier than to create the feat so we’ll give 100% on the sphere to make our dream of a medal come true!”
South Africa
South Africa have been the dominant power in African hockey for the previous three many years, being topped continental champions on eight events and successful varied Olympic and World Cup qualification occasions. Their gamers commonly compete within the prime membership leagues on this planet, representing groups within the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, England and past.
Whereas success on the worldwide stage has been rarer, they’ve confirmed with regularity that they’re able to matching – and infrequently beating – the perfect on this planet. On the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Video games in 2021 they claimed a shocking 4-3 victory over hockey powerhouse Germany within the pool section. The next 12 months, the staff stormed to glory within the FIH Hockey Males’s Nations Cup 2022, performed in Potchefstroom, with staff captain Dayaan Cassiem scoring twice within the competitors ultimate because the hosts recorded a 4-3 conquer Eire. The staff had been again in Nations Cup motion earlier this 12 months, this time ending third behind New Zealand and France. South Africa booked their Olympic ticket on the African Hockey Highway To Paris 2024 qualification occasion by successful all 5 of their matches, scoring 38 targets and conceding simply twice.
The outrageously gifted Cassiem brothers – captain Dayaan and youthful brother Mustaphaa – are arguably the celebs of this present South Africa staff, however there are many others able to making an impression. Striker Tevin Kok and Nqobile Ntuli are each dependable sources of targets, whereas Mathew Guise-Brown is a menace from penalty nook conditions. The staff is coached by Cheslyn Gie, who guided the staff to their Nations Cup success in 2022, simply months after stepping up from assistant coach.
Crew Captain Dayaan Cassiem: “We take a look at these Video games as a chance to verify we are able to present after our coaching camp and onerous work that we are able to compete. We’re enjoying for the badge on our chest. Our expectation is to simply take it sport by sport and concentrate on what we are able to do greater than the opposition. Last message is that we’re right here to play for one thing larger than ourselves and to make the nation proud.”
