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The Netherlands, France and Argentina hockey teams touched down in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, on Wednesday (November 17). The teams are slowly arriving in India ahead of the upcoming FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2021.
The Hockey Men's Junior World Cup is slated to commence on 24 November at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The Indian men's team are all set to kickstart their campaign on November 24. Reigning champions India have been placed in Pool B alongside Canada, France and Poland.
The Junior World Cup is scheduled to be held behind closed doors owing to the prevailing COVID-19 outbreak. As many as 16 teams from across the globe will fight for the trophy at the prestigious hockey tournament.
In an unfortunate instance, teams from Australia, New Zealand and England teams have withdrawn from the event. It is keeping in view the COVID-19 situation and the mandatory travel restrictions imposed by the governments.
Hockey teams speak ahead of FIH Men's Hockey Junior World Cup 2021
The Netherlands captain Silas Lageman stated that the team has been practicing thoroughly. He further added that the teammates also share a close bond, which will help them put up good performances on the field.
"For the last 2-3 months, we have trained with each other every Monday-Tuesday. We also spent a lot of time with each other on and off the field to know each other better. We are very excited. We have never played in such a big stadium. It's a shame people cannot come and watch the games," said the Netherlands skipper.
The French team is also looking forward to giving their best. France captain Timothée Clément stated that India and hockey are synonymous.
"It is always a good thing to come to a country like India. Everything is done to be in perfect conditions here, every time. This country is a hockey country and every event here is something incredible," said Clément.
Meanwhile, France's head coach Aymeric Bergame wants to return home with a medal.
"We’re excited to come, the last time we came was in 2013 with a Silver medal. We’ve missed the next one. We dream to make the same performance from 2013. We came here to perform, 1/4 Final minimum," Bergame said.
FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Pools
Pool A: Belgium, Malaysia, South Africa and Chile.
Pool B: India, Canada, France and Poland.
Pool C: Netherlands, Spain, Korea and the United States.
Pool D: Germany, Argentina, Pakistan and Egypt
Also read: Australia pull out of FIH Pro League and Junior World Cup due to Covid-19 restrictions
