07 Aug, 2024 The Netherlands women proved simply too strong for semi-final opponents Argentina, claiming a 3-0 triumph over their fierce rivals to reach the Olympic final for the sixth successive Games. In front of an enthusiastic sell-out crowd, the reigning Olympic, World, European and FIH Hockey Pro League champions were in irresistible form against Las Leonas, dominating their illustrious opponents with goals from Luna Fokke, Laura Nunnink and Yibbi Jansen. Fokke’s second quarter opener was a goal of outrageous quality, with Dutch defender Renee van Laarhoven picking out her team-mate with an astonishing 60m pass down the right, releasing the young attacker who entered the circle before firing home on her backhand. Fokke turned supplier ahead of half time, splitting open the Argentine defence with a perfectly placed pass onto the stick of Laura Nunnink, who guided the ball between the legs of Leonas shot-stopper Cristina Consento. Competition top scorer Yibbi Jansen putting the result beyond all doubt shortly after half time, rattling home her eighth goal of the tournament with a low drag-flick. The result means that the possibility of the Netherlands winning both hockey gold medals remains very much on, after the men qualified for their final on Tuesday (6 August). For Tokyo 2020 silver medallists Argentina, the result means that they will play for bronze on Friday (9 August). “If you saw me when we scored the goals, I think that kind of describes how I feel”, said Netherlands goalkeeper Anne Veenendaal, who passionately celebrated all three of the goals scored by her team. “I guess that’s all the energy that’s out and I’m just so proud of the team. The two goals (from Fokke and Nunnink) were insane.” On the manner of the victory over Argentina, a team that have often proved a thorn in the side for the Dutch, Veenendaal said: “Yeah, you know, I think we haven’t played that well before now, but we wanted to put that right today. That resulted in three major goals. I’m definitely happy with how we played, I think we scored we could have scored even more.” The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, visit Olympics.Hockey. #Hockey #Paris2024 Source: FIH.hockey

06 Aug, 2024 Paris, France – Day 11: The men’s hockey gold medal match at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be an all-European encounter between the Netherlands and Germany, two of the sport’s biggest rivals. The Netherlands men – reached the Olympic gold medal match for the first time in 12 years, overpowering Spain 4-0 in front of another capacity crowd at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium. The reigning European champions are hoping to become Olympic champions for the first time since Sydney 2000. In the spine-tingling evening match, reigning world champions Germany overcame India in dramatic style, winning 3-2 to put them on a collision course with the Oranje. Germany have won the men’s Olympic gold medal on four occasions, their last being at London 2012 where they defeated the Dutch in the final. The timings of the semi-finals can be found below, with a complete list of available fixtures and timings available here. Men’s medal matches – Thursday 8 August 2024 (all times CEST) 14:00 – Bronze: India vs Spain 19:00 – Gold: Germany vs Netherlands More information on today’s matches can be found below, with additional details available here. Netherlands 4-0 Spain Goals in each quarter from Jip Janssen, Thierry Brinkman, Thijs van Dam and Duco Telgenkamp thrilled the masses of orange-clad fans at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium, powering the team to a 4-0 victory over Spain. The win keeps alive hopes of a golden Dutch double at Yves-du-Manoir, with the Oranje women set to play their own semi-final match against Argentina on Wednesday (7 August). Whilst the women are reigning Olympic champions, the Netherlands men are searching for their first gold medal in 24 years. The teams that won gold at Sydney 2000 and Atlanta 1996 both featured current men’s head coach Jeroen Delmee and Jacques Brinkman, father of current Netherlands captain Thierry Brinkman. “This is a really special moment for us, but we are not there yet”, said Netherlands goal-scorer Jip Janssen, indicating that his team will not be satisfied with silver. “We want the gold medal, and we’re going to do everything in our power to do so. Whoever we play in the final, it will most definitely be a very tough job. But as I said, we’re going to do everything in our power to achieve it.” While it was a painful defeat, Spain still have a chance to secure a place on the podium in Thursday’s bronze medal game. The match marked a personal milestone for Spain’s Alejandro Alonso, who made his 100th international appearance. Germany 3-2 India  In the spine-tingling evening match, reigning world champions Germany overcame India in dramatic style, winning 3-2 to put them on a collision course with the Oranje. India took a deserved lead through Harmanpreet Singh’s deflected penalty corner, but Germany turned the match on its head with goals from Gonzalo Peillat’s penalty corner and a penalty stroke from Christopher Rühr. India restored parity six minutes into the third quarter through Sukhjeet Singh’s guided penalty corner deflection, but Marco Miltkau netted with six minutes remaining to keep Germany’s hopes of a fifth Olympic gold medal alive and kicking. It was a remarkable contest which, despite the high stakes and intensity, did not see a single disciplinary card awarded to either team. While their 44-year wait for a ninth Olympic gold medal goes on, India have an opportunity to win a second successive Olympic bronze when they face Spain on Thursday. “I feel very proud to have made the final, but we cannot be proud with our performance, to be honest”, said Germany’s Justus Weigand. “It was a fight until the end and we are so happy.” Looking ahead to a classic European encounter with the Netherlands, Weigand said: “Yeah, it’s very classic. I think everybody dreams about this match-up and we are looking forward to the game. Let’s see how it ends.” Further information and statistics on all of today’s matches can be found here.   Notable figures attending the Olympic hockey at Yves-du-Manoir on Day 11 included FIFA President Gianni Infantino as well as Indian billionaire industrialists Sajjan and Parth Jindal. Wednesday 7 August is women’s semi-finals day at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium, with the Netherlands set to meet Argentina at 14:00 CEST before Belgium face China at 19:00. A preview for these matches can be found here. The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, visit Olympics.Hockey. Olympic Games Paris 2024 – Hockey 6 August 2024 – Day 11 Results – Men’s Semi-Finals Netherlands 4-0 Spain Germany 3-2 India Men’s medal matches – Thursday 8 August 2024 (all times CEST) 14:00 – Bronze: India vs Spain 19:00 – Gold: Germany vs Netherlands Final Standings Men Gold: Silver: Bronze: 4: 5: Belgium 6: Australia 7: Great Britain 8: Argentina 9: South Africa 10: Ireland 11: France 12: New Zealand Women Gold: Silver: Bronze: 4: 5: Australia 6: Germany 7: Spain 8: Great Britain 9: USA 10: Japan 11: South Africa 12: France Pool standings overviews Men: click here. Women: click here. . Source: FIH.hockey

06 Aug, 2024 The men’s hockey gold medal match at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be an all-European encounter, with Germany overcoming India in sensational circumstances to set up a clash with fierce rivals the Netherlands on Thursday (8 August). India dominated the first quarter, with the electric skills of Hardik Singh causing no end of problems for the Germany defence. Die Honamas – who are four times Olympic gold medallists – successfully defended four early penalty corners, but eventually the pressure told when Harmanpreet Singh’s drag-flick took a wicked deflection off a German foot to sail into the net. Germany turned the match on its head in the second period, with former Argentina penalty corner ace Gonzalo Peillat having a huge impact. Peillat scored with his very first penalty corner attempt, rattling the India backboard with a low drag-flick. Peillat’s second penalty corner attempt also resulted in a goal, hitting an India foot on the goal-line before Christopher Rühr expertly dispatched the resulting penalty stroke. India, perhaps unfortunate to be trailing at half time, restored parity six minutes into the third quarter with Sukhjeet Singh guided a penalty corner deflection into the net. However, Germany broke India’s hearts when Marco Miltkau touched home with six minutes of the contest remaining, securing a place in their first Olympic final since winning the title against the Netherlands at London 2012. It was a remarkable contest which, despite the high stakes and intensity, did not see a single disciplinary card awarded to either team. “I feel very proud to have made the final, but we cannot be proud with our performance, to be honest”, said Germany’s Justus Weigand. “It was a fight until the end and we are so happy.” Looking ahead to a classic European encounter with the Netherlands, Weigand said: “Yeah, it’s very classic. I think everybody dreams about this match-up and we are looking forward to the game. Let’s see how it ends.” While India’s 44-year wait for a ninth Olympic gold medal goes on, they have an opportunity to win a second successive Olympic bronze when they face Spain on Thursday. The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, visit Olympics.Hockey. #Hockey #Paris2024 Source: FIH.hockey

06 Aug, 2024 As the hockey action continues at pace in the historic Yves-du-Manoir stadium, which served as the home of the Olympic Games Paris 1924, and hosted the opening ceremony for the Games of the VIII Olympiad, a hundred years ago, we also look back at the century of existence completed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), which was formed in the very same year of 1924, in Paris! Hockey was formalised with the formation of the “Fédération Internationale de Hockey sur Gazon” on 7 January 1924, in Paris. Frenchman Paul Léautey formed the organisation with initial members from Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain and Switzerland. By that stage, men’s hockey had already featured in two editions of the Olympic Games – in 1908 and 1920. But, spurred on by its omission from the 1924 Games in Paris, Léautey decided it was imperative that an international governing body be formed. That was the start of the hundred-year journey which has taken hockey to where it is today. Including Paris 2024, hockey has been played at 25 editions of the Olympic Games so far while 16 editions of both the men’s and women’s FIH Hockey World Cup have taken place. Earlier this year, speaking on the day of the FIH’s 100th anniversary, President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach said: “You can look back with so much pride on 100 years of great progress. Starting with only seven member associations, FIH has not stopped growing ever since. Today, your 140 national associations underline in an impressive way that hockey has grown to a truly global sport with worldwide appeal. As you look to this bright future, let me reiterate that FIH, under the great leadership of my friend Tayyab Ikram, can always count on the IOC as a partner by your side to promote our shared Olympic values of peace and solidarity.” To watch the full message from the IOC President, please click here. FIH President Tayyab Ikram added at the time: “We commemorate a century of resilience, progress, and the unyielding spirit of the hockey community. We pay tribute to our athletes, visionary leaders, dedicated volunteers, valued partners, and to all those who have been part of this incredible journey. Our journey, from seven member associations to a sport played in 140 countries, is a testament to the enduring power of hockey. It has been more than just a game; it has been a force for unity, resilience, and positive change marking a century of sporting excellence. I must express my appreciation and admiration for our heroes, our athletes of all times. They have shown great resilience and adaptability by adjusting to changing conditions, environments, equipment, rules, and officiating principles. Their unlimited capacity to perform have elevated the game to higher levels and they serve as role models for all of us.” To watch the full message from the FIH President, please click here. Read the full story on the FIH celebration on 7 January 2024, by clicking here. Source: FIH.hockey

06 Aug, 2024 Wednesday 7 August is women’s semi-finals day at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium, with the Netherlands taking on great rivals Argentina at 14:00 CEST before Belgium’s Red Panthers face an inspired China at 19:00. With 20,000 fans watching the two matches – 10,000 tickets have been sold for each contest – it is going to be another sensational day of hockey action at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium. Netherlands v Argentina – 14:00 CEST After their men’s team successfully negotiated their way to the gold medal game on Tuesday (6 August), the Netherlands women will want to keep alive hopes of a Dutch double here at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Their comfortable 3-1 quarter-final victory over Great Britain was their sixth win on the bounce at Yves-du-Manoir, having scored 22 goals and conceded just six. No nation has ever won both the men’s and the women’s hockey gold medals at the same Olympic Games, so history could be made here in Paris. However, Argentina will do everything in their power to stop the mighty Dutch, and certainly have the quality to do it as they continue their search for a first Olympic title. In addition to on-field excellence, they also have motivation, with many players part of the team beaten by the Netherlands in the gold medal match at Tokyo 2020. With a large contingent of Dutch and Argentinean fans attending, the stadium will be a cauldron of noise, colour and atmosphere. Player perspectives  Renee van Laarhoven (NED): “I think we always have great, amazing games against Argentina. I mean, we know they have loads of passion. They give it their all. We saw it against Germany today, again. We always love to play against them, and I think they love to play against us as well. It’s always a great fight. And, yeah, we can’t wait to keep going.” Agustina Albertarrio (ARG): “(Reaching the semi-finals) is amazing. I love our team. I don’t have the words to explain it, but now we have to rest, and we have to keep fighting, because now we have a really hard game (in the semi-finals).” Belgium v China – 19:00 CEST Having claimed five wins from six matches – their only defeat coming at the hands of the Netherlands – Belgium’s women are already guaranteed their best ever finish at an Olympic Games. A wonderful achievement no doubt, but the Red Panthers have their eyes on the big prize. Outstanding in their 2-0 win over Spain, Belgium are brimming with confidence and will be determined to make the most of what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reach the Olympic final. Competing in their first Olympic semi-final in 16 years, China’s impressive form in Paris is a testament to how far they have come since Alyson Annan became head coach in 2022. China’s only other Olympic semi-final appearance came at Beijing 2008, where goals from Gao Lihua, Ma Yibo and Zhao Yudiao helped the hosts to a 3-2 victory before taking the silver medal, losing in the final to the Netherlands. However, after defeating Pool B winners Australia in the quarter-finals, China will believe they have nothing to fear in their next two matches, starting with Belgium. Player perspectives  Delphine-Daphne Marien (BEL): “They (China) are really disciplined, they work so hard but we are going to do the same. Playing for the medals, everybody will be even more fired up. For sure we are going to be ready from the first whistle. And then hopefully, hopefully, hopefully we can make to the final.” Ou Ziaxia (CHN): “To reach the Olympic semi-finals is a big pay-off for us, a representation of the hard work that we have put in. They (Australia) were the champion of their pool. I’m very proud of my team-mates and very proud of my coach.” Women’s Semi-Finals – Wednesday 7 August 2024 (all times CEST) 14:00: Netherlands vs Argentina 19:00: Belgium vs China Medal Matches – Friday 9 August 2024 14:00: Bronze medal match 20:00: Gold medal match The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, visit Olympics.Hockey.  #Hockey #Paris2024 Source: FIH.hockey