KUALA LUMPUR: The national men's hockey team will have to challenge the likes of three-time Olympic champions Great Britain, world number five Germany and New Zealand in the Olympic Qualifiers in Muscat, Oman from January 15 - 21 next year to achieve their 2024 Paris Olympics dream.
According to the latest announcement by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) today (November 6), the other teams in the fray to face the Speedy Tigers squad in the qualifiers are Pakistan, Canada, Chile and China.
The eight teams will be divided into groups of four. The top two of each group will advance to the semi-finals, while only the top three finishers of the Muscat qualifiers will qualify for Paris 2024.
The other leg of qualifiers to be held in Valencia from January 13-21, will see battle between Belgium, hosts Spain, South Korea, Ireland, Japan, Austria, Egypt and Ukraine.
Malaysia missed the first chance to qualify for Paris 2024 as continental champions, after failing to progress beyond the group stage in the Hangzhou Asian Games, last month.
A total of six teams from the Muscat and Valencia qualifiers will join the hosts France and five continental champions – Australia (Oceania), Argentina (America), India (Asia), the Netherlands (Europe) and South Africa (Africa) – in Paris, next summer.
Meanwhile, the national women's team are set to face the likes Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, South Korea, Ireland, Canada, Malaysia and Ukraine in Valencia from January 13-21.
Another qualifier for the women will be held in Ranchi, India with the involvement of Germany, India, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, United States, Italy and Czech Republic, scheduled from January 13-19.
"The men's and women's teams have been divided into the two groups on the basis of their world ranking at midnight on Nov 5, once all Continental Championships were completed.
"The teams that finish in the top 3 of each of the four Olympic Qualifiers tournaments will seal their qualification to the Olympic Games," according to FIH. --BERNAMA