Captain Savita Punia leads the Indian women hockey team into the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier 2024 with confidence. After a successful campaign at the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023, the team is ready to take on tougher opponents.
The tournament is scheduled for January 13th to 19th, 2024, in Ranchi, India. Eight national teams are divided into two pools with India in Pool B alongside New Zealand, the United States, and Italy.
Savita expressed the team’s confidence, stating that they are prepared to face all the tough teams that will be coming to India for the Hockey Olympic Qualifier. She mentioned their previous experience playing against Germany, one of the strong contenders.
Chief coach Janneke Schopman shared the team positive outlook, highlighting their undefeated performance in the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023. She emphasized the need to improve various aspects of their play, focusing on creating opportunities against closed defenses.
The top three teams from Ranchi, India, and Valencia, Spain Qualifiers will secure a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Germany, ranked 5th, is the highest-ranked team in the Olympic Qualifier 2024, making the tournament a challenging but exciting opportunity for the Indian team.
With their best-ever ranking of sixth in the world and the unwavering support of the home crowd, the Indian team is determined to perform well in the upcoming Olympic Qualifier. They aim to repay the faith of their supporters and secure their spot in the Paris Olympics.
