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FIH Olympics Qualifier: For Women’s hockey, it’s little ado about everything
Even if the men’s encounter might turn out to be a one-sided contest, plenty of flair may be on offer for the women’s team, which somehow has not garnered as much attention as it should have.
Eavesdropping around media room at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar a day before India men’s hockey Olympic qualifying match against Russia gives quite an interesting insight into how the competition is stacked for coach Graham Reid’s side. No one seems to be expecting a thrilling encounter and the only discussion appears to be is how many goals will India be scoring against their opponents.
After all, India is placed at 5th position in FIH World Rankings, while Russia are currently at no. 22. Just about four months ago, India had defeated the very same opponents 10-0 in a FIH Series match. The recent Olympic qualifiers, which saw a few surprising results, has provided a great narrative in the build-up to what is expected to be one-sided encounter - will India face a shock defeat due to complacency?
Addressing the topic, coach Graham Reid vehemently argued the teaching he has been giving his team leading up to the match. Speaking at the Indian team’s press conference on Thursday, the former Australian international said: “If you look at the qualifiers, you could see big teams struggling. My message has always been the same to the team - Never take your opponents lightly and give them utmost respect. You always play as if you are playing the world champions and the best team in the world.”
But even Russia believe they are behind India at the moment and a fighting game is what they can promise best on Friday and Saturday. When questioned on his expectations from the encounter, Russia coach Vladimir Konkin said: “In the world rankings, we are at 22nd place, but in our souls we are quite higher. For us this is a good opportunity to face strong and touch competition, so we will so what happens.”
Tough competition for India Women’s team
Luckily for hockey fans, even if the men’s encounter might turn out to be a one-sided contest, plenty of flair may be on offer for the women’s team, which somehow has not garnered as much attention as it should have. After all, if skipper Rani Rampal-led side makes it through it to the Olympics, it will be only the second time after 36 years that the team will play at the multi-sport event. It is also the first time that India women’s team will be playing a high-stakes game in home conditions.
“We are really excited to play in front of thousands of fans in such a big stadium. A tournament of this magnitude is happening for the first time in India for women’s team and all of us are eager to put on a good performance for the home fans,” Rani said at India women’s hockey team press conference.
The contest appears to be even one, despite India’s better ranking and their home advantage. USA have been a regular participant at the Olympics and even finished with a bronze medal in 1984. The side also won a bronze in 1994 World Cup. The two teams met last year in Women’s World Cup in London, which ended in 1-1 stalemate. USA coach Janneke Schopman sums up perfectly how the two teams are almost at par.
“Historically, USA have done better than India. But, if you look at the players, we only have three who played in Rio, while India have almost the same team that played Olympics in 2016. So, this puts them in an advantage. Though, we did have a good run in the Pro League this year. We played some good quality matches, some do-or-die encounters, and for every player, experience matters,” she said.
While the marketability of men’s encounter has seen them have the prime time slot for the match, and the media focus will, too, largely reside on the men’s matches. But one must keep an eye out on the women’s games, as something truly special could be on display in Bhubaneswar.
Coach Marijne exerts the importance of the qualifiers for the women’s team. “We have achieved everything we wanted to achieve. The only thing left is to reach the Olympics now. We want to do better than we did last time (India finished with wooden spoon in Rio). But first we have to get there. This is the first step. Obviously, we want to win a medal. But, that will never unless we get to Tokyo,” he said.
