Hockey
Tokyo Olympics 2020: Hockey schedule announced
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced the schedule for the 2020 Olympics slated to be held in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9. The Indian men's and women's hockey teams will kick off their campaigns against New Zealand and the Netherlands respectively at the Olympics on July 25, said the world body (FIH) on Tuesday.
Both the Indian teams will start their campaigns on the first day of hockey competitions, according to the match schedule of the Games released by the federation. After facing New Zealand, who are eight-time champions in the men’s event, India will take on World No. 1 Australia on July 26, before taking on Spain on July 28, defending champions Argentina on July 30 and hosts Japan on July 31 in Group A.
The women’s squad led by Rani Rampal is clubbed in Group A. The side will face Germany on July 27, before meeting Great Britain on July 29, Ireland on July 31 and South Africa on August 1. The men's and women's gold medal matches will be held on August 6 and 7 respectively, said FIH in an official statement.
Also read: Hockey: India’s probable pools and schedule at Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Ranked fifth in the world, the Indian men's team had qualified for the Tokyo Games after beating Russia 11-3 on aggregate in the Olympic qualifiers held in Bhubaneswar earlier this month. The women's team, ranked ninth in the world, had qualified for the Olympics after defeating the United States 6-5 on aggregate in the qualifiers.
The match schedule of the Tokyo Olympic hockey tournaments was announced during a press conference in Tokyo which was attended by FIH Executive Board Member and IOC Olympic Solidarity Commission Member Tayyab Ikram, Tokyo 2020 Sports Director Koji Murofushi, Japan Women's hockey national team player Shihori Oikawa, and Japan Men's hockey national team player Seren Tanaka.
For the full schedule, click here.