Japan and India are sole contenders for Olympic berth, says Yuri Nagai

Japan's team captain, Yuri Nagai, stated on Sunday that several modifications have been implemented in the Japanese women's hockey team to strengthen its performance, following a disappointing loss against India in the Asian Champions Trophy final. Nagai claimed that these torunament revisions have placed Japan and India as the sole Asian contenders in the forthcoming Women’s Olympic qualifiers, which will commence on January 13. Nagai also expressed that both countries have high hopes of excelling in the competition.

After their defeat in the Jharkhand Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2023 Final, the team attended a number of training camps to improve their gameplay. As a result, they reshuffled their team line-up. Japan will kick off its campaign in Pool A against the Czech Republic on January 13, followed by Germany on January 14 and Chile on January 16.

However, Japan's previous loss in the final of the Asian Champions Trophy against India last November still lingers. With only the three foremost teams qualifying for the Paris Olympics, an intense competition is foreseen in the upcoming tournament.

Their coach, Jude Menezes, believes that each match poses a unique challenge. He shared that the team's strategy is to approach each game independently and gauge their progression gradually. He also mentioned that the team's prior experience on the Ranchi pitch gives them an advantage.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's team is visiting India for the first time. The team, ranked 11th worldwide, finds itself in a complex group along with the hosts — a situation complicated further by India’s historical prowess in the game. New Zealand Captain Olivia Merry said that the objective of the team is to attain the top position in their pool to secure a position in the semi-final stage. They will commence their campaign in Pool B against Italy on January 13, followed by host India, and then the United States for their final two pool matches on January 16.