Hockey Men's Junior World Cup: Belgium out to prove a point

The Belgium men's junior hockey team has arrived in Bhubaneshwar for the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup.

Belgium is grouped in Pool A, along with Chile, Malaysia, and South Africa.

The team has been a rising force to beckon with in recent times. Given the success the Belgium senior men's hockey team found at the Tokyo Olympics, the juniors would love to take a leaf out of the seniors' book.

Read: Hockey Junior World Cup: Vivek Sagar named captain, 18-member squad announced

Staring at strong competition right from the start, the Belgium junior hockey team knows any slip-up would prove costly. Belgium junior hockey team head coach Jeroen Baart said the team is looking in good shape, especially after an intense coaching camp back home. He said:

"We have had an intense period of lots of training together combined with a very busy club competition. Finding a good balance between training together and playing for your club was vital for us to prepare well. We had a good friendly tournament in July 2021 in Spain and we hope to take the next steps here in Bhubaneswar."

Belgium hockey team excited to play at Kalinga Stadium

A general view of the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar. (PC: Getty Images)

Speaking on the team's excitement to be in Bhubaneswar, Belgium captain Dylan Englebert said the team is looking forward to playing at the Kalinga Stadium.

The Kalinga Stadium in Odisha's capital city has emerged as the hub of hockey with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities and boasts of a top-quality astro-turf.

"We are very excited. I know a lot of players have had pictures of the stadium as the lock screen of their phones. It has been a dream to come here and play at the biggest stadium of hockey. It will be the first time we will be playing in such a big stadium, so we are very excited.”

Belgium will begin their campaign in the tournament on November 24 against South Africa. When asked about the top contenders for the marquee event, coach Baart said India would be one to look out for. He added:

"India, of course, are a force to watch, especially playing at home with the qualities they have. We know Germany and Spain well and know that these are teams to watch. One would never underestimate the Dutch team, too. Maybe the last one to mention is Argentina that can always be a dangerous opponent in a tournament like this."