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Teams for Olympic hockey qualifier finalised

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) today finalised the teams that will take part in the pre-Olympic qualification tournaments for men and women, in Osaka, Japan, and Milton Keynes, England, respectively, in March next year.

In the men's tournament, the first six will join the direct qualifiers - Olympic champions Holland, hosts Australia, and Continental winners India, Canada, Germany and South Africa - at the Sydney Olympic Games.

The teams in the fray are four-time World champions Pakistan, twice Asian games gold medallists South Korea, Montreal Olympic winners New Zealand, Seoul Olympic champions Britain, current Olympic and World Cup runners-up Spain, besides Argentina, Belgium, Malaysia, Poland, Switzerland, Belarus and hosts Japan.

Belarus, which was the first reserve, has been accomodated because South Africa won the title at the African Games at Johannesburg earlier this month.

The FIH used the final standings of the Utrecht World Cup last year and the World Cup qualification tournament in 1997 as the criterioin for selection of the teams.

In the women's tournament, to be played at Milton Keynes, seven qualifiers will go to Sydney and join defending champions and hosts Australia, besides Continental champions South Korea, Holland, Argentina and South Africa.

Asian Games silver medallists India are pitted against Germany, Spain, USA, New Zealand, China, Russia, Ireland, Japan and hosts Britain.

UNI