TEAMS
TO CONTEST 2008 MEN’S OLYMPIC QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCED |
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The teams to compete at the 2008 Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament at North Harbour from February 2 - 10, 2008 have been finalised by the FIH.
The teams are: Argentina (world ranking 7), New Zealand (10), France (16), Ireland (19), Trinidad & Tobago (23) and Cuba (31).
Two other Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournaments will also be played early next year. The winner of each tournament will take up the final three spots available for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Hockey New Zealand CEO Ramesh Patel said the tournament represented the Black Sticks last chance to qualify for Beijing: “We expect to be in the final and we expect to win the tournament with the advantage of home town support.
“Having said that we have to keep our feet on the ground and recognise it won’t be easy,” he said. “There are two teams there who have beaten us in recent times, France and Argentina.”
Argentina beat New Zealand 3-2 in the final of the Champions Challenge in Belgium in January this year, and France upset the Black Sticks 5 - 2 in pool play, at the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in China in April, 2006, a tournament New Zealand went on to win.
Black Sticks Coach Shane McLeod said he expected to meet Argentina in the final of the tournament.
“The guys are playing really well. I expect us to have a very good qualifying tournament and go on to do well at the Olympics.”
McLeod said Argentina was a well drilled side, but not beyond New Zealand’s means: “They used up a lot of their ‘go to’ during the Champions Challenge against us - their points of difference. They have lost the ability to surprise us which could work in our favour.”
Participants for the two other tournaments are:
Santiago,Chile–01/09 March 2008
Austria, Bangladesh, Chile, Egypt, Great Britain and India
Kakamigahara, Japan – 05/13 April 2008
Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Switzerland
The reserve nations for the tournaments (in order) are:
(1) Netherlands Antilles (2) USA (3) Mexico
The nine Men’s teams who have already qualified for the Olympics are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Korea, Netherlands, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Women’s Black Sticks side is among the nine teams confirmed as qualified for the Olympic Women’s tournament, following their win over Australia in the final of the Oceania Cup this month in Buderim, Australia.
The nine Women’s teams are: Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa.