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News for 19 June 2021

All the news for Saturday 19 June 2021


2021 Test matches SUI v CZE (W) - 19 June
Lucerne (SUI)

All times GMT +2

18 Jun 2021     SUI v CZE     0 - 0
19 Jun 2021 17:00     SUI v CZE
20 Jun 2021 10:00     SUI v CZE

FIH Match Centre



Master and apprentice: McAleese and Findlay combine for Black Sticks' Olympic assault

Marvin France


Sean Findlay shares a laugh with mentor Shea McAleese after both were selected in the Black Sticks’ Olympic squad. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

When Black Sticks bolter Sean Findlay discovered he had made the final cut for the Tokyo Olympics, his first response to coach Darren Smith was: "are you sure?"

Yet while the 19-year-old midfielder may have been taken aback by his selection, veteran teammate Shea McAleese, who has just about done it all in international hockey and has followed Findlay's career from the outset, has no doubt he is ready.

“As much as it is the Olympic Games you’ve just got to turn up and play,” McAleese told Stuff. “That is the biggest thing and I think that’s why Sean has made the group as such a young guy. Every opportunity put in front of him in the last 12 months he’s just taken it.

“Whereas some people get overawed by the situation and playing Australia in your first test match, he performed really well through all four games, so that’s the reason why he’s here.”

Findlay and McAleese represent the young and old of the New Zealand men's squad and the Hawke's Bay pair share a special bond.

As a close friend of Findlay's father Graeme, McAleese has known Sean his entire life, and in recent years has been a mentor to the New Zealand under-21 player of the year.

With Covid-19 restrictions preventing his wife, 2016 Olympic kayaker Jaimee Lovett and their baby daughter, from making the trip for McAleese's fourth and final Games, Findlay's inclusion has provided a personal touch for the 314-test defender.

“With Sean being there it has that little bit of family element to it, which is awesome,” McAleese said. “I’ve known him since he was born and he really deserves his place.


Regular advice from family friend and mentor Shea McAleese (right) has helped Sean Findlay realise his Olympic dream. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

“It will be pretty special. Hopefully, all going well between now and our first game, that we both walk out onto the pitch together."

Labelling McAleese as a “bit of an idol” growing up, Findlay added that of all the advice he's soaked up over the years, a simple message stood out.

“Always back yourself and always have a crack.”

That attitude served him well last month when Findlay made his Black Sticks debut in the series against Australia.

He essentially booked his ticket to Japan with those four appearances, scoring a goal while impressing with his versatility and temperament under pressure against much more seasoned opposition.

As much as Findlay's Olympic call-up came out of the blue, you can bet he won't die wondering in Tokyo.

“When I was rung about it, I sort of questioned Darren a bit and said ‘are you sure’," Findlay recalled. "He said we think you’ve done enough to justify a spot. In my head I was still a little surprised but now I’m stoked.

“I tried to do as much as I could in the four games I had and clearly did enough to show the coaches something.

“Personally, I just want to be able to see what I can achieve at that level, put my best forward and play with a little bit of flair. Just have a crack and see how I number up against the rest of the world, really."

McAleese, the fourth-highest capped Black Stick of all time, will bring his illustrious career to an end at the conclusion of the Games.


Shea McAleese is heading to his fourth and final Olympic Games in Tokyo. Dave Rowland/Getty Images

But the prospect of an Olympic swansong wasn’t so certain when the sporting showpiece was postponed last year due to the pandemic.

With niggly injuries mounting, the 36-year-old began to question if his body could hang on for another 12 months.

A pep talk from his wife ensured McAleese kept going. And the irony is, Findlay was adamant he wouldn't have got the chance to share this special moment with his mentor if Tokyo 2020 got under way as scheduled.

“100 per cent, if the Games hadn’t been postponed I wouldn’t be going. I wasn’t in the squad and had only really been at under-21s level.”

Now both are in the squad, they have targetted a place on the podium as McAleese looks to bow out in style with an elusive Olympic medal, to go with his Commonwealth Games silver (2018) and bronze (2010).

The difficulty of achieving such a lofty goal was laid bare against world No 2 Australia, who swept their recent series 4-0.

However, that was the eighth-ranked Kiwis' first taste of international competition for 15 months.

McAleese was confident there was enough time to make considerable improvement before opening their Olympic campaign against India on July 24, with two more tests against the Kookaburras in Perth on June 26-27 the perfect opportunity to gauge their progress.

“Probably the biggest challenge for us is depth in New Zealand... So I think the first couple of games (against Australia) were a bit of a shock and that’s okay,” McAleese said.

“The biggest thing from that series was that it was a stake in the ground for us. We know, whereas Australia’s room for improvement might be five per cent of where they are at, ours could be exponential.

“If we’re realistic about medalling and obviously we’re targeting gold, we need to improve by 20, 30 per cent to be able to do that.”

Stuff



MP players to represent India in Tokyo Olympics

The players from Madhya Pradesh will represent the Indian team in Tokyo Olympics.

The players trained from Madhya Pradesh participating in the Olympics include Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar (Shooting), Prachi Yadav (Para Kayaking Canoeing), Vivek Sagar Prasad and Nilakanta Sharma (Men's Hockey), Sushila Chanu, Monika, Vandana Kataria (Women's Hockey). Huh.

Apart from this, Chinki Yadav and Sunidhi Chauhan (Shooting), Reena Khokhar and E. Rajni (Women's Hockey) have also been selected as trained reserve players from Madhya Pradesh.

Para shooting player Rubina Francis is also a strong contender for participation in the Olympics.

State Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia said that the Madhya Pradesh government is determined to provide maximum opportunities to the players of the state to showcase their talents at the national and international level.

Expressing happiness on the selection of maximum players of the state in the Olympics, she congratulated all the players and also all the coaches.

Director Sports and Youth Welfare Pawan Jain informed that high level training and sports facilities are being provided to the players through the Women's Hockey Academy started in the year 2006. Expressing happiness over the selection of Nilakanta and Vivek Sagar in the Indian team, Chief Coach of Men's Hockey Academy Rajinder Singh said that both are talented players, whose performance has improved day by day.

Born in a middle class family in Shivnagar Chandaun village of Itarsi Vivek Sagar won the Four Nations Tournament, Commonwealth Games, Champion Trophy, Youth Olympics, New Zealand Test Series, Asian Games in the year 2018 and in the year 2019.

Azlan Shah represented the Indian team in international competitions like Hockey Tournament, Australia Test Series and Final Series Bhubaneswar.

The Daily Pioneer



Neha Goyal, Nisha Warsi and Sharmila are products of the academy run by Pritam Siwach and her husband Kuldeep in Sonepat since 2004.

Uthra Ganesan


Pritam Siwach has been running the Sonepat Hockey Academy since 2004. [File photo]   -  V.V. Krishnan

In 2002, when the Indian women’s hockey team won the Commonwealth Games gold, Pritam Rani Siwach was one of the pillars of that victory. But the 46-year old is happier and prouder today with three of her trainees making it to the squad for the Tokyo Olympics.

The three — Neha Goyal, Nisha Warsi and Sharmila — are products of the academy run by Pritam and her husband Kuldeep in Sonepat since 2004. While Neha has been around for a while, cementing her place in the national side, Sharmila and Nisha are relative newcomers to the international arena.

Proud as a parent

“I feel like I am personally going to play in the Olympics, I don’t think I ever felt this proud even as a player. It is like three of my own daughters have achieved something.

“Given their background and the absence of support, for them to reach this level and for a small academy like mine to have a role in their development, the feeling cannot be explained,” Pritam told Sportstar.

While Neha’s story has been told before — an abusive father, a supportive mother and her determination — Pritam believes Nisha and Sharmila deserve equal appreciation.


The Indian women's hockey team is currently training in Bengaluru.   -  Special Arrangement

“Nisha too has been with me for almost seven to eight years, she came as a fifth-standard student. Her father works in a small sari showroom as a helper but is home now due to medical reasons.

“Coming from a Muslim family, it was far more difficult for her to pursue sports because of societal pressure even though she lived very close to Neha’s house. She even quit for a while before I convinced her mother and sister to let her continue.

“And, now she has a job with Railways and will be an Olympian! Her family still cannot understand the magnitude of her achievement,” Pritam gushed.

Sharmila, on the other hand, had other hurdles. Despite a supportive family, Sharmila, who belongs to Kandi village in Hisar had to adjust to living on her own all these years.

“Several of my girls stay at the Tika Ram School hostel because we do not have a residential academy or place for them to stay. She managed her life and food, etc herself till she joined the National camp,” Pritam said.

While it's true that former players don't necessarily make good coaches, it's equally true that not too many in Indian hockey work at the grassroots, scouting and developing talent. Among women, Pritam is perhaps the only one doing so.

Proof of success

She insists she isn’t looking for any long-term financial support from the officials. “For girls like them, I hope the government takes note of our efforts and supports us. All we seek is sanctioning an astro-turf field and a residential academy.

“The operational part we will manage ourselves. I have applied many times but there has been no response. If they want proof of success, I think these girls have given them that. Hopefully now things will move,” she said.

Sportstar



Canadian Indoor National Teams announce rosters for Indoor Pan American Games

Women’s and Men’s Indoor National Teams look to qualify for Indoor World Cup



The Women’s and Men’s national teams are traveling to Spring City, Pennsylvania for the rescheduled Indoor Pan American Cup taking place June 25-27, 2021. Only the tournament champion will earn the right to represent the Pan Americas and advance to the Indoor World Cup, taking place in 2022 in Belgium.

Canada’s Indoor National Teams have been training and preparing for this moment for the past several years. Due to the global pandemic, the preparation and training has been disjointed over the past 18 months but the coaching staff is proud to select two competitive rosters that will look to take down the tournament title in Pennsylvania next week.

Canada’s men’s team will play a double round robin with the U.S. and Argentina setting up a championship game. Due to the travel complications, several Pan American Teams were unable to make the trip. The double round robin will allow each team to gain familiarity before playing the medal match. Argentina, the reigning Pan Am champ is always a threat and USA will be playing on home soil.

Canada’s women’s team will play a full-group round-robin with Uruguay, Guyana, USA and Argentina before moving into the medal rounds. The hosts USA and reigning champs Argentina will provide the stiffest test, but this year’s Canada returns several players from four years ago and is a group that has a bounty of chemistry.

Follow along on the Field Hockey Canada social media and website for results and stories from Pennsylvania next week. Go Canada Go!

Read more: http://www.panamhockey.org/en/news-946

WOMEN’S INDOOR NATIONAL TEAM

PLAYER NAME CITY/PROV
Madison Babineau Grimsby, ON
Rebecca Carvalho Brampton, ON
Rowan Harris Ottawa, ON
Angela Lancaster Guelph, ON
Kathleen Leahy Victoria, BC
Alison Lee Toronto, ON
Harnoor Malhi Toronto, ON
Nicole Poulakis Ajax, ON
Madison Thompson Ridgeway, ON
Kathryn (KJ) Williams Ancaster, ON
Krissy Wishart Hamilton, ON
Elise Wong Vancouver, BC
RESERVES CITY/PROV
Grace Leahy Waterloo, ON
Kaitlyn Tomas Campbellville, ON

STAFF:
Head Coach: Shankar Premakanthan Ottawa, ON
Asst. Coach: Cassius Mendonca Brampton, ON
Team Manager: Sherry Doiron Kitchener, ON
Head Therapist: Justine Branco Mississauga, ON

*Discover Canada Tours, a proudly Canadian company, is thrilled to join as an official sponsor of the Canadian Women’s Indoor Field Hockey team. We believe that by being one of the sponsors for this team, it will allow them to grow as a division of Field Hockey Canada as well as affording them the opportunity to compete around the world as they strive to partake in the 2022 World Cup. Our motto is Live the Adventure and we are excited to support the Canadian Women’s Indoor Field Hockey Team in their adventure to progress to the 2021 World Cup.

MEN’S INDOOR NATIONAL TEAM

PLAYER NAME CITY/PROV
Adam Kapasi Toronto, Ontario
Devohn Noronha Teixeira Mississauga, Ontario
Ganga Singh Sr Caledon, Ontario
Gurjot Singh Caledon, Ontario
Gurtej Dhaliwal Ottawa, Ontario
Jagpreet Singh Mississauga, Ontario
Jeevan Jammu Brampton, Ontario
Kenneth Pereira Toronto, Ontario
Lyle Fernandes Mississauga, Ontario
Micah Teixeira Mississauga, Ontario
Pardeep Koonar Ottawa, Ontario
Tarnpreet Singh Mississauga, Ontario
RESERVES CITY/PROV
Julius D'Souza Mississauga, Ontario
Flynn McCulloch Chelsea, Quebec
Leighton Desouza Toronto, Ontario



STAFF:
John DeSouza Head Coach
Reggie Pereira Assistant Coach
Edwin Fernandes Team Manager
Elwin Lau Head Therapist

Field Hockey Canada media release



Cloud over women's JAC

By Jugjet Singh


Nasihin Nubli

Malaysia's plan to compete in an international women's hockey tournament in Japan has been hit by a 14-day quarantine ruling.

National women's coach Nasihin Nubli and his team are preparing for the Junior Asia Cup (JAC) in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Aug 16-22, but now a cloud hangs over their participation.

Nasihin admitted that his planning has been complicated by the 14-day quarantine for travellers from Malaysia to Japan, as well as a one-month period for MyTravelPass applications.

The coach had also wanted to hold some training matches for his girls in Japan prior to the JAC, which serves as a qualifier for the Junior World Cup, but that is not likely to materialise.

"I have been in contact with Japan Hockey (Association) for some friendly matches, but they informed me recently that Malaysia has been placed on a 14-day quarantine list by their country. So, it's becoming increasingly difficult (to train in Japan).

"Also, if we want to go out of Malaysia, we will need at least a month to arrange for MyTravelPasses.

"It looks like all we can do is to keep on training the girls in their own homes, and hope things get better soon."

"Right now, (technical director) Paul Ravington and I have drawn up a plan to keep the players in a high fitness level while training on their own at home.

"I genuinely don't see any of my girls 'cheating' in training.

"When they can't follow some of the 'homework' given to them, they are very frank about it and we change its difficulty level.

"And once fitness is in place, my players will be ready to fine-tune their tactics when the fields open for training again," said Nasihin.

Asian Hockey Federation CEO Datuk Tayyab Ikram said for the women's JAC in Japan, the dates are still as planned, but everything depends on travel restrictions for and from several countries.

"All the competing countries know that AHF have no choice but to wait for a window where all the nations can travel and compete in Japan.

"Nobody knows for certain when that moment will arrive, but teams will have to keep their feet on the ground and be ready to sprint when the tournament becomes a reality."

New Straits Times

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