The Indian women’s hockey team has been drawn in a tough group for the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024, which will be held in Ranchi from January 13 to 19. The hosts will have to compete against world No.5 Germany, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, the USA, Italy and the Czech Republic for one of the three spots available for the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
A Challenging Group for India
India, ranked sixth in the world, will be the second-best team in the group behind Germany, who have won four Olympic medals in women’s hockey, including two golds. The other teams in the group are also formidable opponents, with New Zealand, Japan and Chile having qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the USA, Italy and the Czech Republic being regular participants in the FIH Hockey Pro League and the FIH Hockey Series Finals.
India will have to finish in the top three of the group to secure their berth in the Paris Olympics, where 12 teams will compete for the gold medal. The Indian women’s hockey team has qualified for the Olympics only three times in its history, in 1980, 2016 and 2020, and has never won a medal.
India’s Recent Performances
The Indian women’s hockey team has shown some promising signs in recent times, winning the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 by defeating Japan in the final, and finishing fourth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, losing to Great Britain in the bronze medal match. The team has also performed well in the FIH Hockey Pro League, beating teams like Australia, Argentina and Germany in the 2022-23 season.
The team will be hoping to carry forward the momentum and confidence from these performances into the Olympic qualifiers, where they will face some familiar foes as well as some new challenges. The team will also have the advantage of playing at home, in front of their passionate fans, who will surely cheer them on in their quest for glory.
The Other Qualifying Tournament
The other eight teams that will fight for Olympic spots in the women’s hockey event are Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, Korea, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia and Ukraine, who will play in Valencia, Spain, from January 20 to 26. The format and the criteria for qualification will be the same as the one in Ranchi, with the top three teams making the cut for Paris 2024.
The winners of the women’s hockey tournaments at the five continental championships — Australia, the Netherlands, China, Argentina and South Africa — along with the hosts France have already qualified directly for the Paris Olympics.
The Men’s Qualifiers
The men’s qualifiers will also be held in Muscat, Oman, and Valencia, Spain, with eight teams each vying for three spots in the Paris Olympics. The teams that will feature in Muscat are Great Britain, Germany, New Zealand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Canada, Chile and China, while the teams that will square off in Valencia are Belgium, Spain, Korea, Ireland, Japan, Austria, Egypt and Ukraine.
The Indian men’s hockey team has already qualified for the Paris Games after winning the gold medal at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, where they beat Japan in the final. The team will be looking to improve on their bronze medal finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where they ended their 41-year drought for an Olympic medal.
