The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has made the decision to relocate the men’s FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers for the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024 from Pakistan to Oman. Originally scheduled to take place from January 15 to 21, this change in hosting venue comes in the wake of recent suspensions imposed on several Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in August.
The PSB’s actions were accompanied by a directive for new and unbiased elections to be conducted within the PHF. As a result, the hosting rights for the Hockey Olympic Qualifiers were revoked from Pakistan.
In light of this shift, the other men’s qualifying tournaments for the Paris 2024 Olympics, originally slated to be held in Lahore, will now take place in Valencia, Spain, and Muscat, Oman.
Each of the Paris 2024 hockey qualifying tournaments will feature a total of eight teams, with the top three teams from each tournament earning qualification for the Paris 2024 Games. This results in a total of 12 qualifying teams for the men’s and women’s events.
The seedings for the Olympic qualifiers will be determined after the conclusion of all continental championships in 2023. Additionally, the champions of these continental championships will secure direct qualification for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Notably, the Netherlands and Australia have already secured their places for next year’s Summer Olympics after emerging as champions at the EuroHockey Championship 2023 and the Oceania Cup, respectively.
The women’s hockey qualifiers for the Paris Olympics will also adhere to the same format as the men’s qualifiers. One of the two women’s qualifying tournaments will be hosted in Valencia, while the other will take place in Changzhou, China.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are set to host the hockey competition from July 27 to August 9, 2024, at the Yves-du-Manoir stadium.
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