Hockey India today announced a 16-member Indian Men Hockey Team for the Paris 2024 Olympics, scheduled to be held from 26 July to 11 August 2024. Experienced defender Amit Rohidas is the only player from Odisha to have been selected in the Indian team.

This will be the second successive Olympics for Rohidas, who was part of the Indian team that won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The team will continue to be led by ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh with midfielder Hardik Singh as his deputy.

Harmanpreet is set to play in his third Olympics, having debuted as the youngest member of the Indian squad at the 2016 Rio Olympics and subsequently contributing to the Bronze medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The squad also features veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and midfielder Manpreet Singh, both of whom will be making their fourth Olympic appearance. As many as five players are set to make their Olympic debut in Paris. They are: Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Raj Kumar Pal, Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh.

India are placed in Pool B, alongside defending Champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland. To advance to the quarter-finals, the team must secure a top-four finish in their pool.

Pool A comprises the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, South Africa, and host nation France, setting the stage for a highly competitive 12-team mens hockey tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Indian mens team will kick off their campaign on 27 July against New Zealand, followed by a match against Argentina on 29 July. They will then face Ireland and Belgium on 30 July and 1 August respectively with their final group stage game against Australia on 2 August. Indian mens hockey team has a rich Olympic history, having secured a total of 12 medals, which include eight gold, one silver and three bronze.

INDIAN MENS HOCKEY TEAM FOR 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS:

Goalkeepers: Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran. Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay. Midfielders: Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad. Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh.
Alternate Athletes: Nilakanta Sharma, Jugraj Singh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak. Chief Coach: Craig Fulton.
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PHOTO: File picture of Odisha defender Amit Rohidas, who is set to represent the Indian mens hockey team for the second successive time in the Olympic Games.