Hockey: Paris Olympics qualifiers to be held independently if Asian Games is postponed beyond September 2023

The 2024 Paris Olympics hockey qualifiers will be conducted independently if the Asian Games are not held by September next year, the Asian Hockey Federation has confirmed.

The Asian Games are important as the gold medalists get a direct entry to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Games, which were scheduled to be held from September 10 to 25 this year, have been postponed indefinitely due to the spread of COVID-19 in China. The new dates will be decided in the future.

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Asian Hockey Federation closely monitoring Asian Games situation

The Asian Hockey Federation's Chief Executive Officer Tayyab Ikram said the federation was closely monitoring the situation and is in regular consultation with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). He said in a virtual press conference:

“The Asian Games is an Olympic qualifier for the continent but we still have enough time in hand. If the Games are postponed to September 2023, we will be in a position to conduct the qualifiers. We are closely monitoring the developments,”

He went on to say that an independent Olympic qualifier for Asia is the next plan for the federation and added:

“We do have a Plan B, which is an independent Olympic qualifier tournament for Asia. That could happen if the Games are postponed beyond September 2023. We want to provide a fair opportunity and even a platform to our players. But we have to see the feasibility. We are very positive at this stage."

Meanwhile, the Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta from May 23 to June 1, will be a World Cup qualifier. Being the hosts of the World Cup, India have secured a direct entry to the prestigious tournament but the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalists will look to defend their title in the Asia Cup.

India will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on the opening day of the Asia Cup.