New Delhi: Hockey India announced the 16 players who will represent India in the upcoming London Olympic Games 2012, there will be 2 standby players who will be staying in the Olympic Village with the team, but can only be included in case of any serious injury amongst the 16 players.
Selection trials were conducted at Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on 6 and 7 June 2012 witnessed by Hockey India selectors Mr. B P Govinda and Col. Balbir Singh, alongwith Chief Coach Mr. Michael Nobbs, Coach Mohd Riaz, Exercise Physiologist Mr. David John and Government Observer Mr. Harbinder Singh.
The 16 member squad will be captained by Bharat Chetri while Sardar Singh will be Vice-Captain of the team.
Eight-time Olympic Champions India will start their campaign against the Netherlands on 30 July 2012 in the men`s hockey competition of London Olympic Games.
India are in Pool B, alongwith Germany, Korea, New Zealand, Belgium and Netherlands in Pool B, will play their next match on 1 August 2012 against the New Zealand.
India, which won its first Olympic gold medal in 1928, will next take on the current Olympic Champions Germany on 3 August 2012, before playing against Korea on 4 August 2012. India will play Belgium in their last preliminary match on 7 August 2012.
The matches will be played at the Riverbank Arena of the Olympic Park. All the matches will be played on blue artificial turf with yellow kookaburra balls. The pitch has pink runways. The match schedule is also attached herewith.
Before reaching the Olympic Games village in London on 19 July 2012, Team India will be finalizing their preparations with a three week tour in France and Spain. Team India will travel to France and Spain on 26 June 2012 to play test matches and a 3 Nation Invitational Tournament.
Indian Men’s Hockey Team qualified earlier this year for the London Olympic Games, when they beat France 8-1 in the final of Hero FIH Road To London, Delhi 2012.
The team is as under with two standby players-
Goalkeepers
1 Bharat Chetri (Captain)
International Caps- 130
2 P R Sreejesh
International Caps- 51
Full Backs
3 V R Raghunath
International Caps- 110
4 Ignace Tirkey
International Caps- 246
5 Sandeep Singh
International Caps- 168
Half Backs
6 Sardar Singh (Vice Captain)
International Caps- 136
7 Gurbaj Singh
International Caps- 148
8 Birendra Lakra
International Caps- 26
9 Manpreet Singh
International Caps- 35
Forwards
10 S.V Sunil
International Caps- 93
11 Gurwinder Singh Chandi
International Caps- 75
12 Shivendra Singh
International Caps- 148
13 Danish Mujtaba
International Caps- 78
14 Tushar Khandker
International Caps- 219
15 Dharamvir Singh
International Caps- 19
16 S. K Uthappa
International Caps- 21
Standby
17 Sarvanjit Singh
International Caps- 123
18 Kothajit Singh
International Caps- 18
Indian Sports News Network
