Hockey: India Men And Women's Teams Face Stern Tests In Valencia 5 Nations Events

Hockey: India men and women's teams face stern tests in Valencia 5 Nations events (Image Source: IANS)

FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier Ranchi: Just a few weeks before the all-important Olympic qualifiers in Ranchi, the Indian women's team will test their preparations when it takes part in a Five Nations invitational tournament in Valencia, Spain, starting from Friday.

The Indian women's team is grouped with New Zealand, the United States and Italy in Pool B for the qualifying event for next year's Paris Olympics, which will be played at Ranchi from January 13 to 19, 2024.

The Indian men's hockey team, which has clinched a direct berth for Paris 2024, will also all all set to participate in the December 15 to 22 as it prepares for the upcoming FIH Pro League season.

With Spain, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and France the other teams taking part in the Tournament, both Indian teams will face some stern tests in Valencia.

The Indian women’s team will take on host, Spain, in the first game of the tournament on Friday and go on to battle against Belgium on Saturday (Dec 16), It will face Germany on December 19 before winding up the league proceedings against Ireland in the 5 Nations Tournament on December 21.

Ahead of their first match against Spain, the Indian Women’s team captain Savita said, "It has been three days since we arrived in Valencia, with our acclimation done we are now ready to get the tournament underway against Spain. We will face some of the best-ranked teams in the world and use this opportunity to work on our weaknesses in preparation for the upcoming FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier Ranchi 2024. We will play our hearts out in every game as it is the perfect stage to fine-tune our performance."

Similarly, the Indian men’s team will face hosts, Spain in the first match on Friday followed by a clash with Belgium on Saturday. Germany is up next for the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist on Dec 19 and France on the next day before they wind up the proceedings against France on Dec 20.

The Indian men’s team captain Harmanpreet Singh is confident about their performance ahead of their first match.

“A few of the top hockey teams have come to Valencia, all of them vying to use this window to improve their game and we are no different. We will treat every match as an important match and strive to win the tournament. The team is raring to play hockey again and make the country proud,” he said.