New Indian Express: Team Using HWL Finals Exploits as Launchpad

BENGALURU: With less than six months to go for the Rio Olympics, the Indian senior and junior men’s hockey teams began their month-long camp at the Sports Authority of India Southern Centre near here. Having not qualified for the Beijing Olympics and finishing a disappointing 12th in London, the team is aiming to do better this time. India did finish third in the Hockey World League Finals last year, which has buoyed and encouraged the squad.

“We’re trying to add a few things to our gameplan. We haven’t played any matches after the HWL Finals. We’ve had a few physical tests and they are looking encouraging. We are where we want to be at this moment,” said coach Roelant Oltmans.

The team has planned exposure tours, which includes Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Champions Trophy, six-nation in Valencia and five days in Madrid before landing in Rio. They also plan to play a couple of practice matches in Rio.

Meanwhile, captain Sardar Singh (in pic) said things were looking up. “Training is going well and we’re improving. What’s more, we’re learning new things from the coach. The bronze at the HWL Finals has boosted confidence of youngsters. We are close to the best six-seven teams in the world, and the rest depends on match-day performance,” he said.