~The Women’s Team are placed 6th while the Men’s Team are 3rd in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 table~
Antwerp, 21st July 2024: The Indian Hockey Teams are currently in Europe to see out the final stretch of their FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 campaign. Both teams will take on Argentina and Belgium in the mini-tournament in Antwerp from 22nd to 26th May before moving to London to compete against Germany and Great Britain in the mini-tournament from 1st June to 9th June.
The Indian Women’s Hockey Team is placed 6th in the table after earning 8 points from 8 matches. So far, they have registered victories against the United States and Australia while also earning a shootout victory against the United States. Led by newly appointed Captain Salima Tete, the team will now look to earn maximum points from their remaining matches.
Commenting on the outlook of the team ahead of the match, Salima said, “We had an intense training block in SAI while also playing practice matches against South Africa to prepare for these FIH Hockey Pro League matches. The point difference between us and second-placed China is just 7 points. We aim to close this gap in the remaining matches against Argentina, Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain in a bid to finish as high as we can.”
The Indian Men’s Hockey Team is placed 3rd in the table after amassing 15 points from 8 matches. They registered three victories across Rourkela and Bhubaneswar legs; once against Spain and twice over Ireland. They also earned two bonus points after shootout victories against Spain and the Netherlands. Led by Captain Harmanpreet Singh, the team will look to use the platform to prepare for the prestigious Paris 2024 Olympics set to begin on 27th July.
“We are grateful to have this opportunity to test ourselves against tough opponents like Argentina, Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Undoubtedly, we are focused on the Olympics but we also need to give our best to finish as Champions and secure direct qualification for the 2026 Hockey World Cup as well. To achieve both these targets we will strive to give our all on the pitch and win all our matches,” said Captain Harmanpreet Singh ahead of the match against Argentina.
Both teams will begin their European leg on 22nd May against Argentina, followed by back-to-back matches against Belgium on 23rd and 25th May. They will take on Argentina again on 26th May before moving on to the final leg in London where they play Germany on 1st and 8th June and take on hosts Great Britain on 2nd and 9th June.
All FIH Hockey Pro League matches of the Indian Hockey Teams will be broadcast on Sports 18 and live-streamed on JioCinema.
By Hockey India
