The hockey venue for the Hangzhou Asian Games later this year is almost ready and there is no doubt that the continental multi-sport event is a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics, International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Ikram Tayyab said on Sunday . The Asian Games, which were scheduled to be held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou last year but were postponed due to the country’s deteriorating COVID-19 situation, are scheduled to be held in the Chinese city from September 23 to October 8.
Tayyab, a Pakistani-born Macau citizen, currently serves on the Hangzhou Asian Games Coordination Committee, which is headed by former Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association and current acting chief of the Olympic Council of Asia, Randhir Singh.
“Asian Games is on, 100 percent on. I happen to be a senior member of the Hangzhou Asian Games Coordination Committee and I will continue in that role,” Tayyab said at a press conference ahead of the FIH Men’s World Cup final here.
“In March, we (Asian Games Coordination Committee) will hold a meeting in Hangzhou in China. The venue was almost ready early last year, so there is no problem with the Asian Games serving as a qualifier for the 2014 Paris Olympics. . ” “Of course, there was a time when we thought of having another tournament as Olympic qualifiers in case China can’t host the Asian Games,” said Tayyab, who was CEO of the Asian Hockey Federation before being elected IHF’s senior last year. chief. replacing the Indian Narinder Batra. Asian Games normally serve as Olympic qualifiers, but there was confusion after last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games were postponed to this year due to the COVID-19 situation in China.
According to the qualification procedure for the Paris Games, established by the FIH, 12 teams, both men and women, will participate in the competition.
Host country France will have a direct berth in both sections. In addition, five continental champions from Africa, Pan-America, Asia, Europe and Oceania will qualify directly.
For the remaining six berths, FIH will hold two Olympic qualifiers in early 2024, consisting of eight teams each (16 teams in total).
The number of teams from each continent participating in these tournaments will be based on continental quotas, which will be determined based on the FIH world rankings as of January 31, 2023. The teams that fill each quota and are therefore invited to participate will be based on performance at the continental championships. The top three teams from each of these tournaments qualify.
Featured video of the day
Women’s IPL Set to Make BCCI Richer by INR 4000 Crore: Report
Topics mentioned in this article
