Olympic Games Paris 2024 How the hockey Women teams qualified
2024.05.01
The countdown to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has hit double digits and the excitement continues to mount within the global hockey community. With all 12 men’s and women’s teams now qualified and placed into their respective pools, we are taking a look at how each team secured their spot in the Olympics.
Netherlands: The defending Olympic and world champions maintained their supremacy by winning the gold medal in the 2023 EuroHockey Championships, which guaranteed them a direct ticket to Paris 2024 as continental winners.
Belgium: After missing out on the previous two editions of the games, Belgium had to place in the top three at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Valencia in order to qualify for Paris 2024. They had come second at the EuroHockey Championships 2023 behind the unbeatable Netherlands. Belgium performed brilliantly in the qualifiers, going undefeated to take top place and earn a spot in the next Olympic Games.
Germany: Germany qualified for the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi, India, after finishing with the bronze medal at the EuroHockey Championships in 2023. Germany prevailed in every game they played in the qualifiers, which included a nail-biting shoot-out victory over India in the semifinals, to guarantee their spot in Paris 2024.
Japan: After placing fourth in the 2023 Asian Games, Japan earned a spot in the Ranchi, India, FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers. After losing the semi-final match against the USA, their campaign came down to a make-or-break moment when they played the hosts, India, in the third place match. A hard-fought victory there guaranteed them a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
China: After an outstanding performance at the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, China, the country qualified as the Asian continental champions, winning all of their matches and going to the Olympic Games in Paris, 2024.
France: As the hosts, France has qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Pool B for women
Australia: After winning the Oceania Cup in 2023 and earning a direct ticket to Paris 2024 as the Oceania regional champions, Australia qualified for their eleventh consecutive Olympic Games in women’s hockey.
Argentina: One of the most successful teams in Olympic hockey history, Argentina has taken home six medals in the last seven Olympic Games. After winning gold in the Pan American Games in 2023, they qualified for their eleventh consecutive games appearance. They will be looking to capture gold at the Olympics for the first time in Paris in 2024.
Great Britain: After placing third in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Valencia, Spain, Great Britain earned a spot at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. They had to work hard at it.however, in a crucial third-place encounter against continental rivals Ireland, where they prevailed 2-1 to advance to Paris 2024, where they will be on the podium for the third time in a row.
Spain: In front of their home supporters in Valencia, Spain advanced to the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers after placing sixth at the EuroHockey Championships. Spain made it all the way to the finals of the qualifications, supported by their enormous fan base. Although they lost that match by a narrow margin, finishing in second place was sufficient to guarantee the Red Sticks a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
United States: After a few weak years internationally, the United States appears to be a much more self-assured team under new head coach David Passmore, and the results showed at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi, where the US team advanced all the way to the finals before losing to Germany. Despite missing out on the Tokyo Olympics, a second-place finish was sufficient to get the US team back to the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.
South Africa: As straight qualifiers from the continental championships, South Africa is the third team in Pool B, behind Australia and Argentina. South Africa will compete in women’s hockey for the sixth time at the Olympics in Paris in 2024 after winning gold in the “African Hockey Road to Paris 2024.”
@charith
