New Delhi: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced that the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Summer Games will be held in Spain, China, and Pakistan from January 13 to 21. The qualifiers will determine which teams secure their spots in the prestigious Olympic hockey tournament.
Valencia, Spain, has been chosen as the host city for one of the two men’s qualifying tournaments, while Lahore, Pakistan, will host the other. This marks Pakistan’s return as a host for an FIH tournament since the Champions Trophy for men was held in Lahore in 2004.
Valencia will also host a women’s qualifying tournament, while China’s Changzhou has been selected as the venue for the second women’s tournament. Each qualifying tournament will feature eight teams, and the top three teams from each tournament will earn their tickets to the Paris 2024 Games.
The men’s qualifiers will consist of 16 teams, including seven from Europe, five from Asia, two from Pan America, and one each from Oceania and Africa. These teams will be evenly divided between the two tournaments. Meanwhile, the women’s qualifying tournaments will involve eight teams from Europe, four from Asia, three from Pan America, and one from Oceania.
The seedings and participating teams for the Olympic qualifiers will be determined after the conclusion of the continental championships scheduled for 2023. A total of 12 teams per gender will compete in the hockey events at the Paris 2024 Olympics. France has already secured its place in both the men’s and women’s tournaments as the host nation.
Additionally, the winners of the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments at the five continental championships in 2023 – the African Hockey Road to Paris, Pan American Games, Asian Games, EuroHockey Championship, and Oceania Cup – will earn direct qualification for Paris 2024.
The remaining 12 slots, six for men and six for women, will be contested in the four qualifying tournaments. However, if France emerges as the winner of the EuroHockey Championship 2023, their qualification spot will be allocated to the Olympic qualification tournament instead of going to the runners-up of the continental meet.
The Paris 2024 hockey competition is scheduled to take place at Yves-du-Manoir stadium from July 27 to August 9, 2024. As the hockey community eagerly awaits the qualifying tournaments, teams from around the world will battle fiercely for their chance to compete on the grandest stage of all – the Olympic Games.
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