High on hopes, Indian hockey teams are all set to leave for Tokyo Olympics 2020

The Indian hockey teams commenced their Tokyo Olympics 2020 journey on Saturday from Bengaluru. They had been training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) center prior to their departure.

The men's hockey team will hope to end their Olympic medal drought of 41 years. The women's team, on the other hand, will be hoping to finish on the podium for the first time.

Read: India at Olympics - Women's Hockey fixtures, India opponents, TV and Live streaming details

The hockey teams will join the rest of the Olympic-bound Indian contingent when they leave for Tokyo on Saturday night.

Graham Reid, the men’s hockey team chief coach, said the team is excited and has worked hard for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. He told Hockey India:

“The team is absolutely excited. They have all worked really hard for this moment and it is time to convert the sacrifices made over the last couple of months and years into desirable results in Tokyo. As I have always said, our aim will be to play the best hockey, match-by-match. The team is mentally prepared to face the challenges on and off the field in Tokyo.”

The men’s team will meet New Zealand in the first match on July 24. India is in Pool A and will play Australia (July 25), Spain (July 27), Argentina (July 29) and Japan (July 30) in the group stages.

Reid thanked the SAI for organizing a bio-bubble and helping the players prepare well for the marquee tournament. He said:

"As we leave Bengaluru, we are filled with gratitude towards the staff at SAI Bengaluru, Sports Authority of India and Hockey India who ensured we got everything needed in the last 15 months while training in a bio-bubble. Hockey India and SAI have been a huge support in our preparations.”

The Indian women's team at the Bengaluru airport. (PC: Hockey India)

Emotional moment for hockey teams

Indian women’s coach Sjoerd Marijne concurred with his counterpart Graham Reid and said it was an emotional moment when the team had their last training session on Friday. He said:

“This group is really special. They are very strong mentally and I believe this will be one of our assets when we take on big teams in Tokyo. We are gearing up for the challenge."

Sjoerd Marijne said one of the primary tasks for the Indian women's team is to get acclimatized to the humid conditions in Tokyo. He said:

"I think one of the first big challenges for the team upon arrival in Tokyo will be to get acclimatized as Bengaluru weather has been very pleasant these past few weeks. Although we mostly trained in the noon to work under the sun, Tokyo weather will be humid and challenging. No matter the hurdles we may face, the team is optimistic about having a good tournament.”

The Indian women's team will meet The Netherlands on July 24 before taking on Germany (July 26), Great Britain (July 28), Ireland (July 30) and South Africa (July 31).

This is only the second consecutive time the Indian women's team has qualified for the Olympics.

Also Checkout: Tokyo Olympic Hockey Schedule