Hockey FIH Champions Trophy to be held in New Delhi from December 3-11

Lahore, April 19, 2011 (PPI): The prestigious Champions Trophy Hockey tournament will be held in New Delhi from December 3-11, International Hockey Federation FIH said. Top eight countries of the world, including Olympic champions Germany and 2010 World Cup winners Australia, will take part in the tournament. Other countries to participate are the Netherlands, England, Spain, South Korea and Pakistan, besides hosts India.

According to official dates announced by the FIH for nine major events this season and next year, FIH Women’s Champions Trophy will be held in Argentina from January 28-February 5. FIH Champions Challenge I will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from November 26-December 4.

New Delhi will also host first of 2012 London Olympics qualification tournaments for men and women from February 15-26. Six men’s and six women’s teams will battle out for a lone spot each in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Three 2012 Olympic qualification tournaments will have three host nations with a men’s and women’s tournament running at the same time.

The next Olympic qualification tournament will take place from March 14-25, 2012 in Beerschot, Belgium followed by third Olympic qualification tournament in Kakamigahara, Japan from April 25-May 6. The trio of joint tournaments is final opportunity for teams to qualify for 2012 Olympic Games with winner of each men’s and women’s event earning a place in London.

The teams assigned to qualification tournaments will not be known until completion of all of this year’s continental championships, which will be after Pan American Games, scheduled to finish on October 29. Winners of five Continental Championships earn an automatic berth to the 2012 London Olympics.

Following the continental championships, teams that do not automatically earn a berth to the Olympics will be placed into one of three qualification tournaments, depending on where they finish in their continental championships and how many places their continental federation has been allocated for the Olympic qualification tournaments.

“The 2012 season will be one of busiest and most important in recent history. Our regular schedule will be supplemented with Olympic qualifiers and of course Olympic Games themselves, making it nonstop hockey during the year,” said FIH President Leandro Negre.