The FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers pose a significant challenge for the Indian women's hockey team, who are grouped with the formidable world No.5 Germany. The qualifiers are scheduled to take place in Ranchi from January 13 to 19.
India, ranked 6th globally, stands as the second-best team in the India leg of the Olympic qualifiers, alongside other competitive teams such as New Zealand (9th), Japan (11th), Chile (14th), United States (15th), Italy (19th), and the Czech Republic (25th).
The remaining eight teams competing for Olympic berths in Valencia, Spain, include Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, Korea, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia, and Ukraine.
Concurrently, the men's qualifiers will unfold in Muscat and Valencia, hosting teams such as Great Britain, Germany, New Zealand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Canada, Chile, China, Belgium, Spain, Korea, Ireland, Japan, Austria, Egypt, and Ukraine.
The 16 participating teams for each gender have been grouped based on their world rankings at the culmination of all continental championships.
Following the conclusion of the hockey events at the Pan American Games and the African Hockey Road to Paris 2024, five men's and women's teams secured direct berths in the Paris Olympics as continental champions, in addition to the host country, France.
The top three teams from each of the four Olympic qualifiers will secure their positions in the Paris Games. Notably, the Indian men's team has already qualified for the Olympics following their gold-medal win at the Asian Games in Hangzhou earlier this year.
This news comes after the Indian women's hockey team secured a decisive 4-0 victory over defending champions Japan to seize their second Asian Champions Trophy title. Despite a delayed kick-off caused by floodlight glitches, the team's spirit was undimmed as they outclassed the two-time winners with a display of skill and teamwork.
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