15 November 2021 Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to confirm the squad lists for the upcoming FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, the showpiece event where hockey’s rising stars will take to the field in the global showpiece at the magnificent Kalinga Stadium. The competition takes place from 24 November to 5th December, with India – the defending champions – hosting the event for the third time. Although the Junior World Cup has a deserved reputation as being a competition in which the stars of the future showcase themselves for the first time, there are numerous players who have already made a considerable impression on the sport. Thibeau Stockbroekx (Belgium), Benedickt Schwarzhaupt (Germany), Pepe Cunill (Spain) and Justen Blok (the Netherlands) have all featured in the FIH Hockey Pro League, while Timothée Clement has already made 25 senior international appearances for France. The most decorated player in the competition is India captain and two-time FIH Rising Star of the Year Vivek Prasad, who has played 70 times for his country and was part of the team that won bronze at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. You can find all the squads for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 by clicking here.  We are pleased to confirm that the first six days of the competition (24-30 November) will be broadcast to our global audience live and free of charge via the Watch.Hockey app. From 1–5 December, the Watch.Hockey app will be live streaming matches free of charge to all territories outside of India, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, locations which are subject to existing broadcast rights agreements. Looking ahead to the event, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra said: “The Junior World Cup is a hugely important event for the sport of hockey, where the stars of tomorrow come out to shine. Many of the world’s greatest players have competed in this competition, showcasing their skills before going on to even greater successes with their respective senior teams. “I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the state of Odisha for their ongoing commitment to the sport of hockey, with a special word of thanks to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik – your passion for bringing major sporting events to Odisha is something that is admired and appreciated in equal measure. “I would also like to thank Hockey India and all their partners for their relentless energy in planning for this event. Our thanks must also go to the sponsors and all the volunteers who are crucial to making this event a success. “Finally, a personal message to all our athletes and officials. You are the bright future of the sport and without you, we have nothing. I hope you enjoy every moment of this competition and your stay in the wonderful, culture-rich city of Bhubaneswar. I wish you every success in this competition.” The opening match of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 will see Belgium facing South Africa on 24 November at the Kalinga Stadium, the outstanding venue which hosted the last FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018. The competition final will be played on 5 December. To see the complete match schedule, click here. The official website for the event can be found here: https://www.juniorworldcup.hockey/men/ .  For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website. #RisingStars

Team Egypt arrived in the Temple City of Bhubaneswar as the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 is set to begin from 24 November ~ Bhubaneswar, 22 November 2021: Team Egypt arrived on Monday afternoon for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021. Grouped in Pool D, along with teams such as Argentina, Germany, and Pakistan, Egypt have a tough battle in store for them in the group stage. “We are looking to become a better, stronger team at the World Cup. The players will be moving to the senior team after this tournament, so our aim is to improve ourselves,” asserted Abu-Talib Maggid, Head Coach of Egypt. Speaking on the team’s excitement to be in Bhubaneswar at the iconic Kalinga Stadium, Maggid said, “All the players are excited to play at a venue where they watched the amazing World Cup 2018 being played.” Egypt will begin their campaign in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 on 25 November 2021 against Argentina. When asked about the top contenders for the marquee event, Coach Maggid said, “We are at the World Cup. All teams are tough. We are respecting every team. And we will try our best to prove we deserve to be respected as much. Catch live action of FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 on: https://watch.hockey/ Watch.hockey-India: The first 6 Match Days (24th – 30th November 2021) Star India: The last 5 match Days (1st – 5th December 2021) Source: hockeyindia.org

~ Teams South Africa and Korea arrive in Bhubaneswar as the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 is set to begin from 24 November ~ Bhubaneswar, 20 November 2021: Team South Africa arrived on Saturday morning for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021. Grouped in Pool A, along with Belgium, Chile, and Malaysia, South Africa are in for a challenging start in the group stage. “It’s been a period of difficult two years due to the pandemic with lots of training and preparations getting disrupted. But we have prepared the best we can back at home. So, no excuses, every team has faced similar challenges, and we are ready to go,” asserted Sihle Ntuli, South Africa Head Coach. Excited to compete in Bhubaneswar at the iconic Kalinga Stadium, Ntuli said, “I believe it is the best stadium in the world and I am very happy for my players getting the opportunity to play at the stadium. We are very excited.” Team Korea also arrived on Saturday afternoon, and the team Captain Soung Min Bae talked about their preparations for FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021. “We prepared for the World Cup in Donghae, in Korea. We held a national camp where we had to play at least 10 matches, which has made our team stronger. Our players do not have much experience of playing in such a big stadium, just like most players from all teams, but we are confident we will get better as the tournament progresses,” he said. South Africa will face off against Belgium in the first game of the tournament on 24 November, while Korea, who are placed in Group C along with the Netherlands, Spain, and the USA will take on the Dutch team in their first game of the competition on 25 November. Apart from South Africa and Korea, the Pakistan team is also scheduled to arrive in the temple city of Bhubaneswar later on Saturday. Catch live action of FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 on: https://watch.hockey/ Watch.hockey-India: The first 6 Match Days (24th – 30th November 2021) Star India: The last 5 match Days (1st – 5th December 2021) Source: hockeyindia.org