There are just less than ten days to go until the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The players and coaches from the 24 international teams taking part in the hockey tournament are currently adding the finishing touches to four years of hard work, hoping that their many sacrifices will pay off when the event gets underway on Sunday 10 August.
Many people are predicting that this could be the best ever Olympic hockey tournament, which would be a fine way to mark 100 Years of Hockey at the Olympic Games.
Women’s Tournament
The opening match of this year’s Olympic Games will be contested in the morning session between Japan and New Zealand, who face each other in Pool B. Host nation China will be up next, hoping to please the home crowd by defeating Spain in Pool A.
The evening fixtures will see some potentially thrilling games, with Pool A rivals Australia facing Korea and The Netherlands up against South Africa. The latter of those two matches should be an interesting one for Marilyn Agliotti of The Netherlands, whose last Olympic appearance was at Sydney 2000 in the colours of South Africa.
Pool B sees 2008 Champions Trophy winners Argentina looking to get their tournament off to a flyer by defeating USA, while Olympic champions Germany have a tough opening fixture against Great Britain.
Men’s Tournament
The men’s tournament starts on Monday 11 August, with World Champions Germany and China going head-to-head in Pool A. Germany are considered by many to be potential Gold medallists here in Beijing, but the notoriously fit China team will be aiming to upset the odds in the very first match.
Pakistan play Great Britain in Pool B, a fixture which will surely worry the British supporters thanks to Pakistan’s 8-2 and 8-1 victories at Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000 respectively. In the evening, Pol Amat’s Spain will play Belgium in Pool A, with Korea and New Zealand also in action.
In Pool B, Olympic Champions and World Number 1 side Australia get their tournament underway against the Canadians, with Canada captain Rob Short celebrating his 36th birthday. It makes him the oldest competitor in the hockey event at Beijing. Like their women’s side, The Netherlands men begin their 2008 Olympic campaign against South Africa, and should be boosted by the availability of penalty corner expert Taeke Taekema who has been recovering from injury.
The FIH website will be covering all of the hockey action in Beijing. The site will feature live written commentaries from every match, as well as action photos, results, tables, top scorers, match sheets and daily round-ups. You will also be able to download the Olympic Daily newsletter, being produced by the FIH media team in Beijing. The team will be working hard to bring you excellent coverage of the Olympic tournament.
