Bhubaneswar: Teams of Pakistan, South Africa and South Korea have arrived Saturday for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, to be played at the iconic Kalinga Stadium November 24-December 5.
Pakistan team, which arrived in the evening, have been grouped with Germany, Argentina and Egypt in Pool D. South Africa, who arrived in the morning, have been grouped in Pool A alongside Belgium, Chile, and Malaysia. South Korea, who arrived in the afternoon, have been clubbed with in a challenging Pool C along with Spain, the Netherlands and United States.
“It’s been a period of difficult two years due to the pandemic with lots of training and preparations getting disrupted. But we have prepared the best we can back at home. So, no excuses, every team has faced similar challenges, and we are ready to go,” asserted Sihle Ntuli, head coach, South Africa.
Excited to compete at the iconic Kalinga Stadium, Ntuli said, “I believe it is the best stadium in the world and I am very happy for my players getting the opportunity to play at the stadium. We are very excited.”
South Korea captain Soung Min Bae talked about their preparations for the event. “We prepared for the World Cup in Donghae, in Korea. We held a national camp where we had to play at least 10 matches, which has made our team stronger. Our players do not have much experience of playing in such a big stadium, just like most players from all teams, but we are confident we will get better as the tournament progresses,” he said.
South Africa will face off against Belgium in the first game of the tournament November 24, while Korea will take on the Dutch team in their campaign opener November 25.
PNN