LAUSANNE(Switzerland):The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed the squad lists for the upcoming FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, the showpiece event where hockey’s rising stars will take to the field in the global showpiece at the magnificent Kalinga Stadium.
According to FIH the competition takes place from November 24 to December 5, with India – the defending champions – hosting the event for the third time.
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Spain and United States are the nations which will be seen in action.
Belgium facing South Africa on 24 November at the Kalinga Stadium, the outstanding venue which hosted the last FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018,
India open their campaign with a match with France on November 24. Their next pool match is against Canada on November 25, The hosts complete their league fixture with a match against Poland on November 27.
Although the Junior World Cup has a deserved reputation as being a competition in which the stars of the future showcase themselves for the first time, there are numerous players who have already made a considerable impression on the sport. Thibeau Stockbroekx (Belgium), Benedickt Schwarzhaupt (Germany), Pepe Cunill (Spain) and Justen Blok (the Netherlands) have all featured in the FIH Hockey Pro League, while Timothée Clement has already made 25 senior international appearances for France.
The most decorated player in the competition is India captain and two-time FIH Rising Star of the Year Vivek Prasad, who has played 70 times for his country and was part of the team that won bronze at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
We are pleased to confirm that the first six days of the competition (24-30 November) will be broadcast to our global audience live and free of charge via the Watch.Hockey app. From 1–5 December, the Watch.Hockey app will be live streaming matches free of charge to all territories outside of India, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, locations which are subject to existing broadcast rights agreements.
Looking ahead to the event, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra said: “The Junior World Cup is a hugely important event for the sport of hockey, where the stars of tomorrow come out to shine. Many of the world’s greatest players have competed in this competition, showcasing their skills before going on to even greater successes with their respective senior teams.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the state of Odisha for their ongoing commitment to the sport of hockey, with a special word of thanks to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik – your passion for bringing major sporting events to Odisha is something that is admired and appreciated in equal measure.
“I would also like to thank Hockey India and all their partners for their relentless energy in planning for this event. Our thanks must also go to the sponsors and all the volunteers who are crucial to making this event a success.
“Finally, a personal message to all our athletes and officials. You are the bright future of the sport and without you, we have nothing. I hope you enjoy every moment of this competition and your stay in the wonderful, culture-rich city of Bhubaneswar. I wish you every success in this competition.”