The Indian men's hockey team displayed their official jersey ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics before departing for training in Europe leading up to the major tournament. On Saturday, the squad stood frankly in front of the Olympic Rings at their home base, SAI in Bengaluru.
Following a two-week intensive national coaching camp here, the Olympic bronze medal-winning squad will depart for Switzerland on Monday. The squad, led by Harmanpreet Singh, will spend three days at Mike Horn's headquarters in Switzerland for mental toughness and training, followed by a brief stretch of practice matches in the Netherlands.
Hockey India has officially chosen a strong 16-member roster for the forthcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, which will take place in the French city from July 26 to August 11.
Harmanpreet Singh, the ace drag-flicker and defender, will lead the squad, which includes five Olympic debutants, with Hardik Singh, a muscular midfielder, serving as vice-captain.
Harmanpreet is ready to compete in his third Olympics, having made his debut as the youngest member of the Indian squad in the 2016 Rio Olympics and then contributed to the bronze medal triumph at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Unveiling their Olympic spirit! ???
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) July 6, 2024
Captained by Harmanpreet Singh, our Men's Hockey Team proudly dons the Paris 2024 jersey at SAI Bengaluru. After an intense camp, they're off to Switzerland for mental toughness training and practice matches in the Netherlands.… pic.twitter.com/zG5AYlusoV
The roster also includes experienced goalie PR Sreejesh and midfielder Manpreet Singh, who will be making their fourth Olympic appearance. Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Sumit, and Sanjay will line up in the back, while Raj Kumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, and Vivek Sagar Prasad will play in the middle.
Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, and Gurjant Singh are among the top forwards on the team.
Additionally, goalie Krishan Bahadur Pathak, midfielder Nilakanta Sharma, and defender Jugraj Singh have been appointed alternative athletes.
Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Raj Kumar Pal, Abhishek, and Sukhjeet Singh are the five players who will make their Olympic debuts in Paris.
India will compete in Pool B at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with reigning champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland. To qualify for the quarterfinals, the team must finish in the top four in their pool.
Pool A includes the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, South Africa, and host country France, paving the way for a very contested 12-team men's hockey competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
India will begin their campaign against New Zealand on July 27, followed by a match against Argentina on July 29. They will next face Ireland and Belgium on July 30 and August 1, respectively, before playing their last group-stage encounter against Australia on August 2.
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