2024 Paris Olympics, Indian hockey: All you need to know
The 2024 Paris Olympics be underway on July 26 in Paris, the capital of France. Over 10,000 athletes will feature at the Paris Games for 19 days. India, which will field 113 athletes, owns a total of 35 medals at the Games. The Indian men's hockey team will vie for its second back-to-back Olympic medal. Here's all you need to know about the contingent.
India placed in Pool B
The Indian hockey men's team claimed the 2024 Paris Olympics berth after winning the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games. India are placed in Pool B alongside defending champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and and Ireland. As per the schedule released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), India will face New Zealand in their opener on July 27 (9:00pm IST).
India's next encounters
India's next opponents are Argentina (July 29, 4:15pm IST), Ireland (July 30, 4:15pm IST), Belgium (August 1, 1:30pm IST), and Australia (August 2, 4:45pm IST). Stade Yves-du-Manoir in Paris will play host to these matches.
A look at the format
The top four teams from each of the two pools (A and B) will advance into the quarter-finals. Notably, the men's hockey tournament medal round matches are slated for August 8.
Indian men's hockey full squad
Defender Harmanpreet Singh, one of the best dragflickers, will lead the Indian men's hockey team at the Paris Games. Midfielder Hardik Singh will be his deputy. Full squad: Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran (goalkeeper), Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Sumit, Sanjay, Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, and Gurjant Singh.
PR Sreejesh's final Olympics; five debutants
PR Sreejesh, one of the greatest goalkeepers, will retire from international hockey after the Paris Games. He announced the same on July 23. The 36-year-old has featured in 328 international games so far. Meanwhile, Harmanpreet is set to take part in his third Olympic Games. The Indian squad features five Olympic debutants. The alternate athletes are Nilakanta Sharma, Jugraj Singh, and Krishan Bahadur Pathak.
Indian men's hockey team won bronze in Tokyo
At the Tokyo Games, the Indian men's hockey team broke its 41-year Olympic medal drought with a bronze. The Indian side defeated Germany 5-4 in an emphatic clash. Before this, India last won an Olympic medal in hockey in 1980. It is worth noting that India has won as many as eight Olympic gold medals in men's hockey.
