News for 17 July 2021
All the news for Saturday 17 July 2021
2021 Test matches JPN v CAN (M)
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16 Jul 2021 10:00 JPN v CAN 2 - 3
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FIH Match Centre
Tokyo 2020: Hockey Competition Overview
With exactly one week to go until the start of the Hockey competition at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, we provide an overview of the format as well as some general rules and regulations that will be in place at the showpiece event in Japan.
The Hockey competition takes place at the purpose-built Oi Hockey Stadium, a state-of-the-art complex constructed at the Oi Pier Ocean Park in 2019. As part of the legacy of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the venue will become the central hub for Japanese hockey and also a multi-purpose sports facility.
Competition format
The hockey competition at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 comprises women's and men's events, with the same format and rules for both. In the preliminary round 12 teams are divided into two pools of six. Each team plays every other team in its pool.
The two pools were determined by the FIH protocol on pool composition based on the FIH World Ranking as of 4 November 2019 as follows:
Pool A: Seed 1; 4; 5; 8; 9; 12
Pool B: Seed 2; 3; 6; 7; 10; 11
Men’s competition
Pool A: Australia, Argentina, India, Spain, New Zealand, Japan
Pool B: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Canada, South Africa
Women’s competition
Pool A: Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, India, South Africa
Pool B: Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Spain, China, Japan
The top four teams in each pool proceed to the Quarter-Finals, with the remaining four teams eliminated at this stage. The winners of the Quarter-Finals progress to the Semi-Finals, the winners of which meet in the gold medal match. The losers of the Semi-Finals will play for the bronze medal.
Rules and Competition Regulations
Players
At the Tokyo Olympic Games, a matchday squad is made up of a maximum of 16 players, composed of 11 players on the field and up to five substitutes. The matchday squad is selected for each match from the larger squad of 18 athletes (who have accreditation known as Aa and Ap), with changes from match to match freely able to be made.
Unlike in previous Olympic Games when alternate athletes could only become competing athletes as permanent changes due to an injury or illness within the squad, the IOC have granted increased flexibility due to the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. As well as the 18 athletes available for selection for each match, the IOC is allowing teams to replace a goalkeeper, if they are injured and unable to continue playing.
The Reserve goalkeeper can only be brought into the squad as per the conditions outlined in the ‘Late Athlete Replacement policy’ which can be found in Appendix 6 of the FIH Competition Regulations for Tokyo 2020. The use of this facility is optional, with teams being able to use one of the alternate athlete accreditations for a second goalkeeper within the squad of 18 should they wish.
Substitutions
There are no limits on the number of substitutions, apart from during a penalty corner or video referral when substitutions are not allowed.
Match periods
Matches consist of four periods of 15 minutes.
Green and yellow cards
If a player is shown a green card by the umpire, he or she has a temporary suspension lasting two minutes. This means the team plays with one fewer player during this period. The time penalty kicks in when the suspended player sits on a chair next to the technical table. After the two minutes are up, the player can return to the pitch. If a player is shown a yellow card, the suspension shall be a minimum of five minutes. The Technical Officer on duty is responsible for timing the temporary suspension. Once the suspension is over, the player (or a substitute) can return to the pitch unless this occurs during the taking of a penalty corner, in which case the player cannot return until the penalty corner has been completed or another penalty corner is awarded.
Penalty corner countdown clock
When a penalty corner is awarded, time is stopped for 40 seconds, except in the case of re-awards or penalty corners awarded after a Video Umpire referral. In the case of a re-awarded penalty corner time will be immediately stopped but the teams will not be allowed an additional 40 seconds. The umpire will re-start play at the earliest possible opportunity, ensuring that any delay is kept to a minimum. Matches are also stopped for 40 seconds after a goal is scored, except in the case of goals awarded after a Video Umpire Referral and a Penalty Stroke.
Video umpire
Each team is allowed one video umpire team referral during the regulation time. Team referrals are restricted to decisions within the 23 metre areas relating to the award (or non-award) of goals, penalty strokes and penalty corners. The on-pitch umpires will ask the video umpire to study the relevant images and for his or her advice and recommendation. If the referral is successful, the team retains the right to make another team referral. If the referral is unsuccessful, the team loses the right to use the video umpire for the rest of the game.
The umpires may also consult the video umpire, using their own umpire referral, if they have doubts about whether to award a goal.
If during the knock-out classification phase, a match ends in a draw a shoot-out competition will take place to determine the winner. In the shoot-out competition each team has the right to one team referral for the award (or non-award) of goals, penalty strokes and whether a shoot-out should be re-taken or not. Referrals remaining at the end of regulation time are not carried over into the shoot-out competition. The umpires may still also consult the video umpire, using their own referral, if they have doubts about whether to award a goal.
Shoot-outs
During the classification phase, a shoot-out competition will be used if the scores are equal at full time. Each team picks five players who will each take one shoot-out. If the teams are tied after a series of shoot-outs, the winner will be decided by sudden death, ie when one team has scored one more goal than the opposing team after an equal number of shoot-outs have been taken. The process will be repeated in series of five shoot-outs for each team until a winner has been decided.
More information on the current rules of hockey and tournament regulations can be found at the below links:
Rules of Hockey 2020: Click here.
Tokyo 2020 Tournament Regulations: Click here.
Match Schedule
To see the complete competition schedule for hockey at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, click here.
For more information about the hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, visit https://tokyo2020.org/en/sports/hockey/.
For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website.
#Tokyo2020
#StrongerTogether
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FIH site
Tokyo Olympics: Hockey goalkeepers can be changed only on permanent basis
A reserve goalkeeper can come into the squad in case of an injury or COVID-19 case only on a permanent basis if he/she is registered before the deadline and has been staying in Tokyo in a bio-bubble.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed hockey teams to expand their squads to 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the same consideration is not given to goalkeepers.
The IOC has permitted alternate players to be available for selection for team sports following a request by international federations. However, teams can only use the originally decided number of players in the playing squad, which is 16 in the case of hockey.
However, besides the alternate players, reams are allowed to take a reserve goalkeeper/player to Tokyo.
A reserve goalkeeper can come into the squad in case of an injury or COVID-19 case only on a permanent basis if he/she is registered before the deadline and has been staying in Tokyo in a bio-bubble.
If a player is being replaced by a reserve player due to a positive COVID-19 test, a copy of this test result should be provided.
If a player is replaced due to isolation or quarantine due to a COVID-19 infection or for exceptional reasons, any relevant evidence, information and/or documents should be provided to the tournament manager.
The reserve goalkeeper/player will stay in a hotel in Tokyo and will be tested daily. The reserved player will be allowed to be at the venue.
Asked whether the reserve player staying in a hotel and not the Olympic village increases the health risk, Thierry Weil, CEO of FIH said the reserve player would also be in bio-bubble and follow the same rules as those in the Olympic Village.
"We are aware that the teams want to have as many players as possible. But that is not possible considering the IOC's restrictions on overall athletes at the Olympics. Thus this is the best solution. The reserve goalkeeper/player will also be in a bubble, will also be tested daily just like everyone else in Tokyo Olympics will be. So there is unlikely to be any risk," Weil said at a virtual international with select media on Friday.
The FIH clarified that the use of this facility is optional, with teams being able to use one of the alternate athletes, already accredited, as a second goalkeeper within the squad of 18 should they wish.
Times Now News
Shared Olympic gold medals if Covid-19 strikes in Tokyo
The Oi Olympic Hockey Stadium is in the waterfront area of Tokyo Bay
Olympic hockey finalists will share the gold medal if teams are forced to miss out at the Tokyo Games.
Gold for both finalists in case of no title clash due to COVID
The FIH CEO said COVID had posed an unprecedented situation for all stakeholders related to the Games and many things will only get clearer once the real action starts
Saddled with many "ifs and buts" around the conduct of hockey at the Olympics, The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Friday said if finalists at the Tokyo Games are ruled of the title clash due to COVID-19, both teams will be awarded gold medals.
The FIH also said the discretion to withdraw from hockey events in Tokyo Olympics due to COVID outbreak within a team will lie with the respective competing nations.
Terming the Tokyo Olympics as "different from the normal Games", FIH CEO Thierry Weil said a team can still keep on playing even when multiple cases are reported within the group.
He said there are still many "ifs and buts" surrounding the rules and regulations which need further clarifications but hoped that a situation where a team needs to withdraw from the competition because of COVID doesn't arise at all.
"It will not be the same Games as before. The athletes and all associated with the Games know very well that theirs and public's health are at stake," Weil said during a virtual press briefing a week before the Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23.
Asked about the rules framed for a side's withdrawal from hockey competition due to positive COVID cases, the FIH CEO said: "There are no numbers fixed. It's the teams discretion when to withdraw. If a team has for example 6, 7 positive cases, they still can play.
"Until a complete team is affected, I feel withdrawal won't happen."
According to Weil, the FIH has already prepared the Sports Specific Regulations (SSR) for the extra-ordinary Olympics, which states that two gold medals will be given if both finalists are struck by COVID.
As per the SSR, if a team can't play a pool game it will be considered a 5-0 win for the other team. In case both teams fail to turn up, it will be considered a goalless draw.
However, the teams can play the remaining pool matches if they are able to.
"If both the finalist teams are forced to withdraw then in that case both the teams will get gold medals. It is already mentioned in our Sports Specific Regulations (SSR)," Weil said.
The SSR also states that if a team withdraws or is unable to participate in the bronze medal match, such a side will not be replaced, and the remaining team will be allocated the bronze medal.
In case the two teams due to play in the bronze medal match are unable to compete, both the teams will be awarded a bronze medal.
The FIH CEO said COVID had posed an unprecedented situation for all stakeholders related to the Games and many things will only get clearer once the real action starts.
"A lot of unanswered questions are there. For example a losing team or athlete generally leaves soon after their competition but I don't know what will happen in Tokyo," Weil said.
"No team or athlete wants to win a medal after losing."
Traditionally, hockey teams in Olympics comprise 16 players each but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made an exception this time around, allowing every competing nation to have two extra players and a reserve goalkeeper in their squads.
As per the IOC, the sports in which "alternate athletes" will be able to replace permanent players in each match are hockey, football, handball, rugby and water polo, while the reserve goalkeeper will come in the picture only in case of an injury to the first-choice custodian.
Despite the additions, only 16 players will be able to play in a match and the teams will have to submit their list a day before their games.
The FIH clarified that management of accommodation of alternate athletes and reserve goalkeeper in Tokyo, whether at the Games Village or designated hotel, rests with respective National Olympic Committees (NOC).
He said that every athlete or official will have to follow complete protocol while shifting from one bio-bubble to the other.
"We are thankful to the IOC for accepting our request to enable teams to have more flexibility in terms of number of players available due to COVID.
"But the decision and responsibility of accommodation of alternate players in Tokyo lies with respective NOCs," Weil said.
"...everyone from officials to athletes will be tested every morning, be it in the village or hotels. Movements of everyone will be very limited, from hotel to venue and back or from Games Village to venue and back."
The Tokyo hockey events will start on July 24.
The Tribune
FIH CEO hopes COVID cases don't disrupt competition
The IOC and numerous international sporting bodies have formulated the Sport-Specific Regulations (SSR), which details how certain sports will go ahead if athletes were to be exposed to COVID-19.
Shyam Vasudevan
FILE PHOTO: FIH CEO Thierry Weil addresses a press conference. - The Hindu
Coronavirus cases have been increasing at a rapid pace in Japan, leading to mounting concerns ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. In an attempt to allay the fears surrounding the possibility of athletes being infected with the virus during the Games, the International Olympic Committee and the numerous international sporting bodies have formulated the Sport-Specific Regulations (SSR), which details how certain sports will go ahead if athletes were to be exposed to COVID-19.
Some of the rules do appear a little confusing and aren’t ideal from a sporting point of view. In the case of hockey, if a team that reaches the final were to withdraw from the tournament due to rampant COVID-19 cases in the team, then the team it beat in the semifinal would replace it in the final. And in the rare event that both finalists are unable to play in the summit clash due to COVID-19 cases in their teams, then they will both be awarded the gold medal.
Thierry Weil, CEO of the International Hockey Federation, said the decision to play or not was solely at the discretion of the team and hoped such a situation would not arise.
“In normal times, we wouldn't even talk about this. Things are extremely complicated because of the COVID-19 situation. I hope and I am quite sure that such a case will not happen (where a team pulls out of the competition). It is to the discretion of the team to decide if they cannot play the next game based on COVID-19 cases in the team. For example, if two players are down with the virus and cannot play, then the team can decide whether it can continue and play without them. It is solely up to the team. I believe this situation will not take place during the Games,” he said in a virtual interaction on Friday.
As per the SSR, if a team is unable to play a pool game then its opponent will be awarded a 5-0 win. In case both teams cannot play, then they will split the points and it will be considered a goalless draw. The teams can go on and play their remaining pool matches if they are in a position to.
It also says that if a team withdraws from a bronze medal match, then it would not be replaced and the other team would be given the bronze medal. Furthermore, if both teams cannot play then they will both be awarded the bronze medal.
“The discussion at the IOC was taken in conjunction with us and the other International Federations to see what would be the best way ahead if an athlete or team cannot play due to COVID-19. From a sporting point of view you can ask if it is fair, but keeping in mind the challenges posed by COVID-19, I feel it is the best decision taken. It is not ideal but in my view, it is the only solution given the situation,” Weil noted.
He added all the decisions concerning the SSR were taken after a dialogue with the athletes as well. “We had multiple discussions with the Athletes Committee and the athletes were involved in the decisions. They felt they had to compete to be awarded a medal instead of just being given one. I am sure they won't be happy about winning a gold medal if the other team could not play. They would rather play a losing semifinalist than not play at all and win the gold,” he said.
He reiterated that the teams would have complete autonomy to decide whether or not they want to play if COVID-19 cases are detected in their camps.
“The teams can decide if they cannot play - if they have one case or six cases, they can decide whether they can play or not. It is solely up to them to decide. If multiple players test positive and only 11 players are left, then the team can still play. I feel no team will withdraw unless the entire squad is infected,” he said.
He conceded that the chance of both the finalists pulling out is unlikely, and also something that has not been discussed yet.
“It is something that no one has thought of yet. This situation could happen, but it has not been discussed yet. It will happen only if the full team is infected. It is unlikely because they would have all got tested two days before the final when they played in the semifinal. And then for all the players in both teams to test positive two days later (seems unlikely). I feel the teams will play in the final even if they have only 12 players,” he said.
Sportstar
Team GB hockey star Maddie Hinch: ‘We go into the Tokyo Olympics with a target on our backs’
Hinch is relishing the rare opportunity to go into a Games as part of the team everyone wants to beat
By Ben Saunders
Hinch admits there is a huge weight of expectation surrounding GB’s hockey team at this summer’s Games (Photo: Mike Egerton/PA)
It was one of the most iconic British performances at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Maddie Hinch single-handedly keeping the dominant Dutch from breaching her defences in the shootout to help win the women’s hockey gold medal.
That was in Hinch’s first Olympics and, five years on, she’s back between the sticks as one of Team GB’s more experienced players and, of course, a defending champion.
“It’s just the excitement to do it all over again,” Hinch said of heading to Tokyo. “It’s been such an incredibly difficult period leading into this. I’m just excited at the prospect of being back in the village, back in that team atmosphere with Team GB.
“It is impossible to explain to people that it’s a really surreal place. And it’s a feeling like no other. We’re used to a team environment but you become part of this bigger team, that’s so much bigger than us.
“The team is different, but our approach is very similar. For those of us who have been there and done it, it’s important for us to share what we feel made the difference there. And there are certain key things, like essentially focusing on the first game and not talking about anything else beyond that right now.
“The momentum you can get from winning your opening match is massive. We learnt that from Rio.
Of course, the difference is that we go in with a target on our backs just because of what we’ve done. You can either embrace that or fear it. It’s again something we will look to embrace and be very proud of.
“For me personally to be able to say: ‘I’m going to the Olympic Games and I’m going as a reigning champion looking to defend the title’, like, who gets to say that? Hardly anyone! So it’s something that I have to be proud of.”
Team GB are in the strange scenario of most of the squad coming straight off a EuroHockey Championships in Amsterdam with England only last month.
For Hinch’s England team, it was a disappointment, finishing fifth and failing to reach the semi-finals for the first time in a competition dating back to 1984. They looked to have booked their place in the semis when Giselle Ansley scored in their final group game against Belgium with two minutes left, only for the Red Panthers to go up the other end and score themselves, Stephanie Vanden Borre’s goal squirming underneath Hinch’s body, giving Belgium the point they needed and sending England out.
But it did end well. They beat Scotland in the fifth-to-eighth placed group to qualify for next year’s World Cup, then thrashed Ireland – World Cup silver-medallists in London three years ago – 5-1 despite going a goal down early on.
“It was a pretty savage thing to go through,” Hinch said of the Belgium draw. “However, I think the goal for Ireland came too early! For us it was like, ‘hang on a second, we need to wake up,’ and that’s what happened.
“And credit to the girls, it was an incredibly pressurised situation to be in and we made it look effortless – and it wasn’t, Ireland are a good side, they’re a World Cup silver medal side and we managed to put five past them. Holland didn’t even do that. So we’ve got to be proud of what we did that day.”
Hinch is heading back to the Netherlands after Tokyo, where she is pairing up with an old nemesis in Maartje Paumen – the Dutch legend and captain in 2016 who saw Hinch save a penalty stroke from her in the Olympic final – who is assistant coach at Tilburg in the Dutch second tier. It will be another new challenge for Hinch, who played in the Dutch Hoofdklasse for Stichtsche for three years after Rio.
“It was definitely not on the plan! I didn’t really have a plan,” she said of Tilburg. “My plan was kind of to be based in the UK, playing in the UK league again, but I got a phone call from Tilburg and I know the coaches involved – one of them is actually Maartje Paumen, who I have so much respect for.”
And the younger Team GB players will have so much respect for Hinch and captain Hollie Pearne-Webb, who scored the winning “shuffle” against the Netherlands in Rio and takes over from Kate Richardson-Walsh, who carried the Union flag at the Closing Ceremony in Brazil.
“We’re all such different individuals,” Hinch said. “Hollie doesn’t need to be Kate, she just needs to be Hollie and the best version of her, but of course there’s little things that you’ve learnt from those guys who have led us before that made a big difference to you as an athlete.
“And that again goes back to Kate, who was incredibly inspiring and incredibly good with her words, had a passion for the game that was infectious. And incredibly approachable, you got the feeling that she wanted to help you.
“So those are the kind of things that I’d want to be seen within the squad and I hope over time that’s become more natural to me. Because again, you can’t become that person with a flick of a switch, you have to work on it and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
For more info on Maddie please visit Redbull.com
Can GB’s men follow suit?
Great Britain’s men will be looking to emulate the gold medal-winning women of Rio in Tokyo. And 2016 hero Maddie Hinch has plenty of good things to say about fellow goalkeeper Ollie Payne and head coach Danny Kerry.
Payne, 22, has burst on to the scene and goes to Japan as GB’s top man between the sticks with only 11 international caps to his name, while Kerry will lead the men after guiding the women to gold five years ago.
“I did notice him straight away when I saw him playing,” Hinch said of Payne. “He makes the game look easy! He plays in a way like he’s got 600 caps to his name, which is incredibly exciting for the lads.
“They’ve got a fantastic group of goalkeepers on the programme, but Ollie has come in and offers a sense of security for that team that they need. And he showed at the Europeans this summer that if he needs to step and make the big saves in the big moments. It does help if you’ve got a world-class keeper behind you and Ollie’s proven he could be that for them.
“It’s a big call from Danny. And Danny will do what he does best and set the boys up tactically to beat anyone and they will all be on the same page, in what their roles are, what the plan is.
“There’s never any uncertainty around who’s doing what, what the plan is. It will be to finite detail, what the game plan is and that’s what his strength is. So I think the boys will have a good summer.”
iNews
Tokyo Olympics 2020, Form Guide: Tracking Indian women's hockey team over last two years
Tracking the Indian women's hockey team's fortunes over the last two years heading into Tokyo 2020 Olympics
File image of India skipper Rani Rampal. Image courtesy: Hockey India
For five years now, Indian athletes have been dreaming to make up for the disappointment of a two-medal haul in Rio. The span has been extraordinary, with COVID-19 having thrown their preparations - and the Olympics itself - off gear. However, in true Olympic spirit, the country's finest sportspersons have battled form and uncertainty to put their best foot forward in what promises to be a Games like none other. In our latest series, we track the last two years' performances of our athletes to give you a ready guide to their form leading into the biggest sporting spectacle of the world.
The Indian women's team's campaign at the Olympic Test Event in August 2019 could not have gotten off to a better start. India beat hosts Japan 2-1 before holding World No 2 Australia 2-2. A goalless draw against China was enough for them to seal entry into the final. In the final, the Indian team faced Japan, who they beat 2-1 to win the Olympic Test Event.
In September, India headed to Marlow where they were to face England in five games. The tour ended with one victory apiece for both sides, and three draws.
Rani saves India’s Olympic dream
To seal qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, the women’s team had to emerge victorious over the USA in a two-legged qualifier in Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium.
The Indian women’s team won the first leg easily with a 5-1 margin.
But in the next match, they slipped to a 1-4 defeat. They sneaked through to Tokyo Olympics 2020 on aggregate scoreline. For much of the game, the Americans were on top, with the scoreline reading 4-0 in their favour at the end of the third quarter. India’s dream of making it to the Olympics for only the third time in history was rescued by skipper Rani Rampal, who scored in the 48th minute.
“I think we are still dazed. It is yet to sink in that we have actually qualified,” women's team skipper Rani Rampal told Hockey India's website after the team sealed qualification for Tokyo 2020.
Promising tour of New Zealand
The team started 2020 with a tour of New Zealand. In their first game, they thrashed the New Zealand developmental side 4-0, with skipper Rani Rampal getting a brace.
Playing against the main New Zealand team in their next two games, Indians showed promise but lost both games by a slender one-goal margin.
At the start of February, they faced England in a one-off game, and emerged victorious by a 1-0 margin.
In the final game of the tour, riding on Navneet Kaur’s brace, the Indian women’s team beat New Zealand 3-0.
“...I am happy we produced three goals against New Zealand (in the last match). This tour gave us a good insight about where we need to improve and one of the things is to create faster play than we do now,” said India coach Sjoerd Marijne taking stock of his team’s performance in New Zealand.
“Sometimes we tend to keep the ball too long on the stick and then we create pressure. We need to avoid that by passing faster. In defence, we need to be a bit calmer and need to improve our tackling.”
Bootcamp at SAI Bengaluru
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down most of the world and forced the postponement of the Olympics, the women’s team stayed put at SAI Bengaluru. The SAI campus was closed for outside visitors, while players continued their training under strict supervision and under all preventive measures.
Back in action after a year
The women’s team, after spending nearly a year out of competitive action, started 2021 with a tour of Argentina, who were the World No 2 side.
“We know what our aim is this year, and we want to make sure that we start the year in the perfect manner, put in some excellent performances, and build some momentum again,” skipper Rani Rampal said before the team departed for Argentina. “However, we also understand and take into consideration that we haven’t played an international match with maximum intensity in these past nine-ten months, and that we might take time to get back into our groove, and that is what this tour is all about.”
“We are looking forward to testing ourselves against some strong teams, and also understanding where we stand at the moment,” she added.
The women’s team were scheduled to play eight matches in Argentina, but played seven as one had to be cancelled.
In the first two games of the series, they played against the Argentinian junior women’s team. Their lack of competitive exposure showed as they were held to draws in both matches. Rani Rampal’s side then played the Argentina B team in two matches, both of which they lost by a one-goal margin.
Their final three matches of the series were against the Argentine women’s team, where they suffered two defeats and managed to pull off a draw in the last game of the series.
Disappointment in Germany
The women’s team next travelled to Germany, where they were slotted to play a four-match series.
They lost all four games, scoring just one goal while conceding 10.
COVID-19 hits women’s team
In April, when the women’s team returned to SAI, Bengaluru after a short break, seven players and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 .
Skipper Rani Rampal, Savita Punia, Sharmila Devi, Rajani, Navjot Kaur, Navneet Kaur and Sushila had contracted coronavirus while support staff members video analyst Amrutaprakash and scientific advisor Wayne Lombard also tested positive.
Rani named skipper for Tokyo-bound team
Rani Rampal was named as the captain for the 16-member team bound for Tokyo with defender Deep Grace Ekka and goalkeeper Savita handed the responsibility of being the vice-captains.
The squad had as many as eight Olympic debutants including Gurjit Kaur, Udita, Nisha, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Sharmila Devi, Lalremsiami, and Salima Tete. Defender Reena Khokhar and midfielder Namita Toppo were later added to the women's squad as alternates, as per IOC's rule tweak.
Tokyo 2020 will be the Indian women's hockey team's third appearance at the Games, the previous two being Moscow 1980 and Rio 2016. Since Rio 2016, the team has won the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy, 2017 Asia Cup, silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, and made it to the quarter-finals of the 2018 Women’s World Cup for the first time in history.
Firstpost
Indian Hockey at Tokyo: Old charm, new hope
The steady Graham Reid, in charge of the men’s team since April 2019, and a rapidly improving women’s team, give both hockey outfits a reason to be optimistic ahead of Tokyo challenge.
Indian Hockey Team (File | PTI)
CHENNAI: In one of the first full-length interviews Graham Reid had given after taking charge as senior men’s coach of the Indian hockey team, he was clear in what was expected of him and what he set out to do. “I want to take Indian hockey back to where it belongs,” he had told this daily while sitting in a coffee shop in Bhubaneswar in June 2019. While Hockey India (HI) liked what they heard, they demanded something more measured. Bring us stability.
While the next three weeks will give the perfect indication as to whether the Australian has taken Indian hockey back to where it belongs, he has already brought in a stable environment. There is no constant churn, the players he has selected for the Games have been with the core probables at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus for at least a few years. Crucially, though, Reid himself is still here, in a job that’s the proverbial poisoned chalice.
There is no other job like that of the ‘India’s senior men’s hockey coach’ in the sport. It pays extremely well. But, pressure wise, it’s extremely high. Sample this: Reid is the first person to keep this posting for more than 26 months this century. Even if some of that is down to an absence of blue-ribbon standalone FIH events for a trigger friendly HI to consider his position, the main reason why Reid has kept his posting is simple. He secured India’s berth at the Olympics with a minimum of fuss apart from winning multiple matches against elite opposition in the Pro League in 2020: the biggest FIH event if you discount the World Cup and Olympics.
India’s men’s hockey problem is an open secret. When the going gets tough, they refuse to get going. It’s in present tense because they haven’t played in enough high-quality ties in the last two years. However, the signs under Reid have been encouraging. The one reason why India are World No 4 is because they have shown character to rescue lost causes.
A few numbers to support this (only Pro League matches since January 2020). Out of the six matches they won (including three via a shootout), they went behind four times, including twice in as many days against Australia. However, they fought back rather than throwing in the towel. Whenever they used to trail in big games, they lost shape in the hunt for goals. This team under Reid doesn’t do that. Reid has also taught the team to win against the biggest nations: they have beaten Belgium, Australia, Netherlands and Argentina in the last 18 months.
That is why they are quietly confident ahead of the Olympics. There is no talk of medalling, not yet anyway. What they are confident of is not just holding their own but competing against the four biggest teams: Belgium, Australia, Argentina and Netherlands. Two — Australia and Argentina — of them are in the same group.
When the EuroHockey Nations Championship began on June 5, Sjoerd Marijne was glued to his TV set. It gave the women’s coach the rare opportunity to look at other teams’ structure, tactics and players during the pandemic.
“I’m watching the EuroNations. It would be great if we also had these matches. But yeah, I can think days about this but it’s not going to happen,” he had told this daily then. For all the preparations by the men’s and women’s hockey teams, there is no getting around what a disaster it has been for the teams. They have had to cancel exposure trips and Pro League matches because of the coronavirus situation. While other teams have played practice as well as competitive matches in the last few months, both the Indian sides have been confined to home, playing selection matches against themselves. It’s not ideal, but like the Dutchman says, ‘it is what it is’.
One thing that’s for sure is that this is a much better side than the one that turned up at Rio. In Brazil, the women’s team, playing at that level for the first time in 36 years, scored thrice, conceded 19, drew one and finished last. They have been on a journey since then. It included a silver at the Asian Games, a quarterfinals at the World Cup, a fourth-place finish at the Commonwealth Games and a heart-stopping win over the US side that saw them qualify.
They have also revamped their squad, with extreme emphasis on fitness (their yo-yo scores is at par with the best in the world). All that means their attitude has changed. They no longer go into big games hoping against hope. They go into them believing they have it in them to control the outcome. Marijne saw it first hand during the two tours they have had this year: Argentina and Germany. “In the past, girls have gone into matches with an ‘okay, let’s keep the score low’. At the moment, they go into these matches thinking ‘we can win these matches’.
That attitude is vital. Beginning with their first match against Netherlands.
Know your sport
Men’s squad
Goalkeeper: PR Sreejesh; Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra; Midfielders: Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit; Forwards: Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh
Women’s squad
Goalkeeper: Savita; Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur, Udita; Midfielders: Nisha, Neha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Navjot Kaur, Salima Tete; Forwards: Rani, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Sharmila Devi.
Hockey
Dates July 24-Aug 6 Oi Seaside Park
Paths to victory
Plenty of optimisim
A medal has proved elusive for India since winning gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but many believe that India have the best chance in many years at securing a podium finish this time. The men are placed in Pool A alongside defending champions Argentina, World No 1 Australia, New Zealand, Spain and hosts Japan. While they have shown in the recent past that they can beat the top teams in the world, including Argentina in the FIH Pro League in April, it remains to be seen whether a squad that features 10 Olympic debutants can raise its game when it matters most.
Seeking next big step
The women’s team has made giant strides since finishing bottom of the table in the 2016 Rio Olympics. But it is time to show evidence of that and take the next big step in their evolution. The girls will have their task cut out as they are drawn in Group A alongside defending champs Great Britain, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and South Africa. Barring South Africa, all the other teams in the group have a higher ranking. Since making the cut for the Olympics in 2019, the women have only scored nine goals in 11 matches. If they are to advance to the latter stages, they will have to find a way to be more incisive going forward.
The New Indian Express
Olympics: High chances of India finishing on hockey podium: Baskaran
Padmashri V. Baskaran was the captain when India last won a gold medal in hockey at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
Padmashri V. Baskaran was the captain when India last won a gold medal in hockey at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
A highly skilled left-half in his playing days, Baskaran was active in Chennai, coaching youngsters and managing hockey tournaments before Covid struck. A decorated coach and an Arjuna Award winner, Baskaran, who was chief coach of the men's team at Sydney Olympics and retired as a senior sports official with the Indian Railways, spoke to IANS on the Indian team's prospects in the Tokyo Olympics.
IANS: The Indian hockey team is playing in Tokyo Olympics, as captain of the team that won at the Moscow Olympics and a trained coach, how good are the chances of our team striking big in Tokyo?
V Baskaran: We deserve to be on the podium as among the 11 other countries which are playing in the Olympics, we are well prepared even with Covid-19 pandemic situation. The players are highly motivated and stayed put at Bangalore for nine months before the Olympics and that was (due to) sheer determination and grit. Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Hockey India have extended all support and help for the well-being of players and their comfort during the training period.
IANS: What are your suggestions and advice to the Indian team?
VB: The team should go match by match and the first target must be reaching the quarter-finals. From the quarter-final onwards, things will be different as knockout begins from here. Our main strength is penalty corner conversion as we have three specialists in this area - Harmanpreet, Rupinderpal, and Amit Rohidas. PR Sreejesh is a highly talented goalkeeper with ample skills and experience as he is playing his third Olympics. Players should stick to the (match) plan. Team India is a mixture of youth and experience and hence I feel they can finish on the podium.
IANS: What according to you must change for India to be the world leader in hockey again?
VB: We need to structure our hockey events like the Club football tournaments in Europe. All the big clubs in Europe have Under 14, Under 16, and Under 18 tournaments, and from these tournaments, talented and skilled players, with a lot of capacity for hard work emerge at the senior level. We must be professionals in developing our sports. Amateurism and half-baked knowledge are dangerous for sports, including hockey.
IANS: Do you have any suggestions to create interest among children in hockey and other sports?
VB: A radical change is required at the school level to identify and nurture talented sportspersons. Sports must not be an extracurricular activity, instead, it must be made compulsory and each child must compulsorily play and participate in two sports in his school days. Even the parents have to be educated regarding the importance of sports for children. Sports must be given equal importance and prominence as education and if we persist on this, then like China, Japan, and Australia good players will emerge from schools, who can be nurtured and groomed into world-class players.
IANS: Please share your memories of the Olympics as a player and a coach?
VB: I enjoyed my playing career as well as being a hockey coach. Olympics has given me several fond memories. I met Ken Nortan, Mohammed Ali, Sebastian Coe, Roger Federer, John McEnroe, and Usain Bolt at the Olympics during my days as player and coach. I had also the opportunity to interact with our greats like Milkha Singh, Balbir Singh (Sr), Dhyan Chand, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra, Karnam Malleswari, P.T. Usha, and Shiny Wilson.
IANS: What was the greatest point in your sports career?
VB: Winning the Olympic hockey gold for India in Moscow was the biggest moment of my career. I expect Indian parents to be more supportive of sports and to inculcate a sporting culture in their children.
Business Standard
Life and times in two hockey worlds - Olympian Jude Menezes on Indian, New Zealand hockey
India’s Sydney Olympian Jude Menezes is now New Zealand women’s hockey team’s assistant coach at Tokyo 2020.
By Abhishek Purohit
Picture by 2020 Getty Images
Jude Menezes had a decade-long career as a goalkeeper with the Indian hockey team. He also represented India at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Menezes moved to Auckland in 2002, forging a career in coaching and will be part of the New Zealand women’s field hockey squad at the Tokyo Olympics as an assistant coach.
“It had been a childhood dream to play at the Olympics for India,” the Mumbai-born Kiwi citizen tells olympics.com. “So that (Sydney 2000) was a huge achievement for me.”
Indian hockey: fast and fit
Jude Menezes is not involved with the game in India anymore but keeps an eye on how Indian hockey is doing. He feels the Indian men’s national team has made huge strides, aided by inputs from overseas coaches.
“I think foreign coaches have made a difference. The style of hockey that India play has changed, there is a lot of structure to their game now. There are good drag-flickers, good goalies,” Jude Menezes pointed out.
“I was in Perth some time back and saw the Australian team, who play a very fast style. India play a very fast brand of hockey now too, one of the fastest in the world.”
India men’s hockey team’s assistant coach Shivendra Singh had claimed recently that his side was one of the fittest teams in the world, if not the fittest. Menezes agrees with that assessment. “Their conditioning has improved vastly,” Menezes says.
Coaching in New Zealand
Talking about the game in New Zealand, Menezes notes that one has to work within the constraints of a limited talent pool because of the country’s small population and the fact that field hockey is not a professional sport there.
“In India, if one guy misses out, there are 10 equally good guys available. It’s like a never-ending supply line really. I mean if you can leave out someone of the calibre of SV Sunil from your squad [for the Tokyo Olympics], your stocks have to be pretty good.
“We don’t have the numbers in New Zealand. It is not a professional sport here. You do not get a job because of hockey here.
“Women, especially, if they have not made it to the national programme by the age of 23-24, they tend to drop out. Other things such as career and family take precedence.”
While it is a challenge to retain talent in a largely amateur set-up, fewer people coming into the system also means you can focus your attention on those who display potential.
“An advantage is that whatever athletes we get, we can focus on them better. There is good support available to build athletes.”
Rugby remains the major sport in New Zealand followed by cricket, but women’s hockey has its followers, Menezes says.
The game is concentrated in Auckland, as are many things in New Zealand are, with pockets in the other major cities of Christchurch and Wellington. International matches can get crowds of about three thousand people which is huge, according to Menezes.
Tokyo Olympics preparation
India and New Zealand are in separate groups in women’s field hockey at the Tokyo Olympics. It was the same case at Rio 2016, where India were eliminated in the group stage and New Zealand went on to lose to Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Preparation for the Tokyo Olympics has not been ideal given the pandemic, Menezes says, despite New Zealand having been spared the worst of COVID.
“Lack of games has hampered our preparation, because usually we would have played around 30-35 games a year.
“We have not been able to travel much as we are so far away from the world. We have only played Australia. We cannot come back home without having to quarantine and it is very expensive to do that.”
On the flip side, opponents, especially the likes of China and Japan, are not too aware of what his team can do.
“Teams have not seen us, so that could work in our favour as well. We have trained well,” says the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold-medal winning coach.
Olympic Channel
This Much I Know: Deirdre Duke, Irish Women’s Hockey Olympian
"It was so good to be able to continue to train and, because we’re so close as a team, that I was actually able to see all my friends."
Jennifer Stevens
Ireland's Nicola Evans and Deirdre Duke celebrate another goal at last year's European Hockey Championship. Pic: INPHO/Frank Uijlenbroek
I suppose when the 2020 Olympic Games were postponed it was pretty bizarre. It was kind of like falling off a cliff. You’re training full-on, getting ready for the biggest event of your sporting life and then suddenly, we had a few months off. Our programme had been quite intense, so we had a pretty brief period of game time for about two months, and then just started to ramp back up again over June, July, August last year, and then since September, we’ve been training flat out as a squad again.
The last year hasn’t been too bad because during all the lockdowns, as elite athletes, we were allowed to continue to train. It was actually, and I know it probably sounds really weird, but it was just great to have an outlet. When so many people weren’t able to exercise or get into the gym, we were still together three or four times a week.
It was so good to be able to continue to train and, because we’re so close as a team, that I was actually able to see all my friends. We felt pretty grateful to be able to do that, but nobody really spoke about the Olympics as such. We didn’t talk about whether it actually might go ahead again. It was this unsaid elephant in the room for the last nine or 10 months. Our coach would address it but just to say that we just had to be ready if it happens.
That was the attitude, but amongst the girls, it was like you just had to pretend, to convince yourself that it was going to go ahead. The training can be pretty gruelling, even without all this, so we just had to trick ourselves into thinking that it was definitely going to happen, and then it was easier to get on with the job.
To be honest, from the team’s point of view, we were never not going. Even when my family and my close friends would be like, ‘Oh, it’s looking really good now. The closer it gets, it’s definitely going to go ahead’. I would be kind of looking at them strangely and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t realise that it wasn’t going to happen’.
It might seem like quite a naive way to think about it, but I suppose to be able to get through the dark mornings and all those storms in January and February, you kind of just have to pretend to yourself that there’s an end goal that you’re working towards. That way, we knew that when it did come around, we would be ready, but it never really entered our consciousness that it wasn’t going to happen, as naïve as that might sound from the outside.
A lot of the women on the team, myself included, are putting our professional careers on hold for another year, and I think that was the biggest thing that we had to get our heads around when the games were cancelled last year.
The Olympics can be a natural endpoint for a lot of people in their sporting careers because it only comes around every four years, so there were definitely some members of the team that were going to reassess their professional career after 2020. The postponement of the games meant that they would have to come back to the hockey pitch for another 12, 13, 15 months, and that was probably the biggest thing that some of the players had to get their head around.
When you’re employed, it can be hard to say to your boss that you need to take a couple of months off, especially for something that may or may not happen, like qualifying for the Olympics. There is funding and we get card money but it’s not enough to live on and the amount depends on your stage in life. So a lot of us have part-time jobs to sustain us. I did law but I work in admin now. You definitely do put your career on hold to work towards going to the Olympics.
We’re played at a European tournament in June and on July 9 last, we went to our host city which is in a place called Owase in Northern Japan. We’ll be there for another week and then we head down to Tokyo to the Olympic Village itself.
This is the first time that the Irish women’s team have actually qualified. My family are over the moon. I guess it’s been a long road. I got my first Irish cap eight years ago so it’s just a culmination of so many years of working towards this.
The Irish Examiner
Legendary Career: Adam Froese announces retirement from Men’s National Program
A decade-long career defined by commitment to team culture and clutch performances
Two times, Adam Froese had the fate of Team Canada on his stick; two times he delivered. But Froese was very clear when he said he didn’t want his career defined by two moments.
Happy Birthday Dhanraj Pillay: A Legend Who Learnt Playing Hockey With A Broken Stick
During his playing career, he won three gold medals and five silver medals.
The journey of Dhanraj Pillay, one of the best hockey players India has produced till date, was not a smooth sail. The former athlete used to live in the Ordnance Factory staff colony in Pune where he learnt playing with a broken hockey stick in his childhood.
Born on July 16, 1968, the former Captain of Indian Hockey team did not hail from a wealthy family and thus naturally had no money to spend on hockey sticks and balls. He was given the name ‘Dhanraj’ by his parents in the hope that he would bring them fame and money. After several years, Dhanraj made their expectations a reality.
Dhanraj credits his success in hockey to his mother. The player made his debut in the Asia Cup held in Delhi in 1989 and never looked back again. He played for Indian National Hockey team until 2004 winning countless accolades. In the 15 years, Pillay scored an impressive 170 goals in 339 matches too.
Pillay’s consistency to remain at the top of the game is appreciated the most. The now 53-year-old played in four Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004), four World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002), four Champions Trophy (1995, 1996, 2002, 2003), and four Asian Games (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002). He is the only player in the world to feature in so many tournaments.
Pillay, later in his career, captained the team which won several tournaments. During his playing career, he won three gold medals and five silver medals.
His legacy in Indian hockey won’t be easily forgotten. And as they say, ‘He came, He saw, He conquered,’ that was the case with Pillay too, India’s gem who will inspire several generations for years to come.
News 18