Bengaluru, July 17 Ahead of the Indian men's hockey team's departure for Tokyo, their chief coach Graham Reid said on Saturday that the boys had worked really hard for "this moment" and it was time to convert "the sacrifices into desirable results" at the Olympics.
The Indian men's and women's hockey teams will be departing for Tokyo on Saturday night from New Delhi along with athletes and support staff from six other disciplines.
"The team is absolutely excited. They have all worked really hard for this moment and it is time to convert the sacrifices made over the last couple of months and years into desirable results in Tokyo. As I have always said, our aim will be to perform best hockey match-by-match. The team is mentally prepared to face the challenges on and off the field in Tokyo," said Reid.
The men's team will begin their campaign on July 24 when they take on New Zealand in their first Pool A match. Their second match will be against the Austral on July 25, followed by the matches against Spain (July 27), Olympic champions Argentina (July 29) and hosts Japan (July 30).
"As we leave from Bengaluru, we are filled with gratitude towards the staff at SAI (Sports Authority of India) Bengaluru and Hockey India who ensured we got everything needed in the last 15 months while training in a bio-bubble," added Reid.
Indian women's hockey chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said, "It was quite emotional for us when we had our last training session yesterday (July 16) in SAI, Bengaluru. This group is really special. They are very strong mentally and I believe this will be one of our assets when we take on big teams in Tokyo. We are geared up for the challenge."
The women's team, playing their second consecutive Olympics, will begin their campaign against the world No.1 side Netherlands in Pool A July 24.
The Rani Rampal-led side will take on Germany July 26 followed by matches against Great Britain (July 28) and Ireland (July 30). Their last league match will be against South Africa on July 31.
"I think one of the first big challenges for the team upon arrival in Tokyo will be to get acclimatised as Bengaluru weather was very pleasant these past few weeks. Although we mostly trained in the noon to work under the sun, Tokyo weather will be humid and challenging. No matter the hurdles we may face, the team is optimistic about having a good tournament," Marijne said.
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