India Men and Women’s Hockey Teams Face Stern Tests in Valencia 5 Nations Events – News18

Just a couple of weeks earlier than the all-vital Olympic qualifiers in Ranchi, the Indian girls’s group will check their preparations when it takes half in a Five Nations invitational event in Valencia, Spain, ranging from Friday.

The Indian girls’s group is grouped with New Zealand, the United States and Italy in Pool B for the qualifying occasion for subsequent yr’s Paris Olympics, which will likely be performed at Ranchi from January 13 to 19, 2024.

The Indian males’s hockey group, which has clinched a direct berth for Paris 2024, may even all all set to take part in the December 15 to 22 because it prepares for the upcoming FIH Pro League season.

With Spain, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and France the opposite groups collaborating in the Tournament, each Indian groups will face some stern exams in Valencia.

The Indian girls’s group will tackle host, Spain, in the primary recreation of the event on Friday and go on to battle in opposition to Belgium on Saturday (Dec 16), It will face Germany on December 19 earlier than winding up the league proceedings in opposition to Ireland in the 5 Nations Tournament on December 21.

Ahead of their first match in opposition to Spain, the Indian girls’s group captain Savita stated, “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 males’s group will face hosts, Spain in the primary match on Friday adopted by a conflict with Belgium on Saturday. Germany is up subsequent for the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist on Dec 19 and France on the following day earlier than they wind up the proceedings in opposition to France on Dec 20.

The Indian males’s group captain Harmanpreet Singh is assured about their efficiency forward 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 stated.

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – IANS)