Full cardboard. The 24 Olympic places in hockey have just been sealed. The pre-Olympic tournaments marked the finish line for the qualifiers heading to Paris 2024, an event that will mark a turning point in the sport of sticks and hockey balls: it will be the last to be held on the current water-based terrain, after 13 consecutive games.
In Ranchi (India) and Valencia (Spain), women’s competitions were the first to feed the second portion of the list of selected qualifiers. Germany, the United States and Japan won their ticket in the Asian city while Belgium, Spain and Great Britain won it in the European event. The elimination with the greatest impact was played by New Zealand in the group stage and will not compete in a Game for the first time since 1996.
The coronation of the German women, Olympic champions in Athens 2004 and bronze for the last time in Rio 2016, came after the 2-0 win against the Americans, the main revelation and who will return to the Olympic level after their absence in Tokyo 2020. The Japanese team struck another blow and buried the hope of the hosts, who will not be able to defend the fourth Olympic place: they scored the only goal against India early and took third place and the Olympic classification. In Valencia, the return to Olympism of the Belgians after 12 years materialized with the victory in the final against the Spanish women in their homeland and the British celebrated twice: they left their Irish neighbors without Paris 2024 and now they are excited about their fourth consecutive medal.
The men competed in Muscat (Oman) and Valencia and also conceded their surprise. Pakistan, owner of four world titles, more than any other country, fell to New Zealand and stayed at the door for the third consecutive Olympic qualifying round. A handful of hours later, Germany, the reigning world champion, defeated the United Kingdom and both qualified. The Olympic champions also celebrated winning in Valencia: in a replica of the women’s tournament, Belgium celebrated against Spain under their skies. It was 3 to 2 with an exciting definition. Previously, the Republic of Ireland had taken the last spot to Paris by beating the Republic of Korea.
Apart from France, present because of its hosting status, the first batch of teams with an Olympic ticket already included the five continental champions. Four of the five were repeated in the women’s and men’s teams: Australia (Oceania), Argentina (America), the Netherlands (Europe) and South Africa (Asia). China and India (Asia) were already guaranteed their female and male quotas, respectively.
In a new sign typical of a decade of transformations, next Wednesday the first 5-player World Cups will be launched, a format that could be replicated in the Olympic universe in the near future. In Muscat, like the pre-Olympic championship, the women’s championship will be held between 24 and 27 January and the men’s championship between 28 and 31 of this month. There will be 16 countries that will seek glory in the first World Cup played on fields that do not need prior irrigation, in line with what Olympism will show starting in Los Angeles 2028.