FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2021: Team South Africa, Korea, Pakistan arrive in Bhubaneswar

The South African hockey team landed in Bhubaneswar, Odisha ahead of the upcoming FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2021. Team South Africa, who are grouped in Pool A alongside Belgium, Chile and Malaysia, arrived in India on Saturday (November 20).

The Hockey Men's Junior World Cup is scheduled to commence on 24 November at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. South Africa will step onto the field to take on Belgium in the opening match of the World Cup.

Apart from South Africa, the hockey team from Pakistan as well as Korea reached India to compete in the competition.

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South Africa, Korea excited and eager to take the field at FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2021

FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 schedule

Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a huge setback for the sporting world. Despite all the setbacks, the players have given their best and are all set to compete at the prestigious hockey event.

Team South Africa head coach Sihle Ntuli, who has seen the ups and downs during the pandemic, has asserted that he expects a good performance from his team.

"South Africa are in for a challenging start in the group stage. 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."

Team Korea also arrived on Saturday afternoon. Upon their arrival, team captain Soung Min Bae spoke about their preparations ahead of the Junior World Cup.

"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."

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