Sports News | Siwach Backs India Men's Hockey Team for Paris Olympics Gold
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Former Indian women's hockey captain Pritam Rani Siwach is confident that the men's team will pass the Paris Olympics test and will change the colour of their last edition's medal to gold.
New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Former Indian women's hockey captain Pritam Rani Siwach is confident that the men's team will pass the Paris Olympics test and will change the colour of their last edition's medal to gold.
Eight-time champions India had ended a 41-year wait to win an Olympic medal at the Tokyo Olympics when they defeated Germany 5-4 to return with a bronze.
"The team has some really talented players who have the capabilities of winning matches," Siwach said in a Hockey India release.
"Yes, the pool in which India is placed in is a bit tricky, but I am confident that the team will pass this test and hopefully change the colour of the medal to gold.”
Also Read | Ahead of Olympics, Outcry Grows over Water Pollution.
Indians are clubbed alongside defending champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland in Pool B.
They begin their campaign facing New Zealand on July 27.
'Domestic women's league the way forward'
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Siwach further said the upcoming National Women's Hockey League -- a first in the domestic circuit -- will offer a perfect platform for players to showcase skills and make the national side.
"It will provide an opportunity for young players to showcase their skills and techniques and make a name for themselves, thus creating their own pathway to the National team going forward,” she said.
"Through this, the players will also get to know what areas they need to work on and how they can improve their game.
"It is also equally important for the coaches as well as they will be more aware of the players and how they can work on them, train them and refine their game.”
The League will comprise sides that have secured the top-eight positions in the recently concluded Hockey India Senior Women National Championship in Pune.
The teams Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Mizoram, Manipur and Odisha have made the cut.
It will be held in two phases beginning with the Ranchi leg from April 30-May 9.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)