India plan to send second-rung team for 2026 Hockey World Cup
New Delhi
: India has planned to send its second-best men's hockey team to the FIH World Cup (WC) in Aug next year. The decision has been influenced by the limited competition window between the WC and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, a qualifying platform for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, sources told TOI.
At the Asiad, winners in both men's and women's categories get an automatic berth for the Olympics.
During the Hangzhou Asiad in 2023, the men's hockey team won gold after defeating Japan, ensuring qualification for the Paris Games. In contrast, the women's team finished third with a bronze and were unable to qualify for the Summer Games. It has emerged that the sports administrators are prioritising the Asiad over the men's World Cup, since the two events are separated by only 20 days.
Thus, fielding the main set of senior players at both events would not be feasible, sources added.
The authorities face no such issue with the women's team, so the main team under Salima Tete is slated to play in both the World Cup — subject to qualification — and the Asiad.
The forthcoming World Cup will feature both the men's and women's competitions and is scheduled from Aug 15 to 30 in Wavre (Belgium) and Amstelveen (Netherlands).
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Currently, neither the men's nor women's team has qualified for this event, both having experienced a disappointing run in the recent European leg of the FIH Pro League.
However, the men's team's global ranking suggests qualification is not likely to be problematic, while the women's team faces a significant challenge to secure their place, dependent on their performance in approaching qualification tournaments and continental championships.
'We don't want our main players to peak at the World Cup and then struggle for form and fitness at the Asiad. The recent FIH Pro League tour served as a testing ground to assess the performance of players and identify them as part of the core group and 'A' team.
We have good bench strength and sending two strong teams won't be an issue,' said an official.
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Should India prioritize the Asian Games over the Men's Hockey World Cup?
Yes, focus on the Asian Games
No, World Cup should be prioritized
Both events are equally important
The authorities also informed that the govt intends to spend between Rs 600-800 crore on the Asiad preparations to bolster the country's medal chances at the multi-sport event.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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