The Indian women's hockey team left the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for Argentina on Sunday. This will be the first round of the national team in almost a year. India Hockey Company also selected the 25-member Indian Hockey Team for the tour. The Indian team is scheduled to play two games against Argentina (Junior) on January 17 and 19, two games against Argentina B on January 22 and 24, and four matches against Argentina on January 26, 28, 30, and 31. Indian hockey and the host national league have created a biological bubble in Argentina for both the Argentina women's team and the Indian women's team. The Indian women hockey team will be staying in a hotel where separate team rooms have been provided for all meals, team meetings, sessions, etc.“It feels great to be on the road again. We have worked hard on our game for the past few months and it is time to put our skills to live in an international match. Playing in international matches will be a bit different at this point.” Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal said in at Statement: "We will be in a biological bubble, and the team is excited to return to the field in the best possible way at this time."The entire Indian group underwent a Covid-19 RT-PCR test 72 hours before leaving New Delhi. Although there are no quarantine requirements upon arrival in Argentina, the team will continue to comply with all health and safety measures recommended by the governments of India and Argentina, according to Hockey India in an official statement.The deputy captain and goalkeeper of the Indian women's hockey team, Savita, thanked Hockey India and SAI for organizing the tour of Argentina.We desperately need to return to a competitive situation where there is not much time left for the Olympics. We have been doing well in the training sessions, but the international match is always the real test for any athlete. Therefore, we would like to thank Savita: “India Hockey and SAI for their efforts. In organizing a tour for us. We are looking forward to a great game and we hope to start playing with all our energy from the first match. "The 25-member Indian Women's Hockey squad: Rani (Captain), Savita (Vice-Captain), Rajani Etimarpu, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Gurjit Kaur, Deep Grace Ekka, Rashmita Minz, Manpreet Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Monika, Nikki Pradhan, Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Jyoti, Udita, Rajwinder Kaur, Salima Tete, Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lilima Minz, Neha Goyal, Namita Toppo, Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi.Also Read: THE 47TH FIH STATUTORY CONGRESS WILL HAPPEN IN DELHI
Indian hockey touched a new peak on Wednesday, making a virtual clean sweep of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) awards, with drag-flick sensation Harmanpreet Singh being crowned the 'FIH Player of the Year' in the men's category, PR Sreejesh winning the 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award and the men's hockey chief coach Graham Reid getting the 'FIH Coach of the Year' award. Former Indian women's hockey chief coach Sjoerd Marijne got the 'FIH Coach of the Year' award in the women's category. The voting-based annual awards had six Indian players and two coaches in men's and women's categories. This is the first time that all nominees from India have won the prestigious awards in their respective categories. Drag-flick sensation Harmanpreet Singh was the top scorer in India's bronze medal-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games. He was nominated for the award along with Belgium's Arthur Van Doren and Alexander Hendrickx as well as Australia's Jake Whetton, Tim Brand and Aran Zalewski. Drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur won the 'FIH Player of The Year' award in the women's category. She was nominated alongside Argentina's Agustina Gorzelany and Agustina Albertarrio. The other nominees for the award were Netherlands' Eva De Goede, Frederique Matla and Maria Verschoor. Sreejesh, who won the 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award, had come up with a career-best performance at the Olympic Games. The other nominees in this category were Belgium's Vincent Vanasch and Australia's Andrew Charter. Goalkeeper Savita won the award for the best goalkeeper in the female category. Savita, who was also the joint-vice captain of the women's team at the Olympics, was outstanding in guarding India's post and played an instrumental role in the team finishing fourth in Tokyo. The other nominees in this category were Great Britain's Maddie Hinch and Argentina's Belen Succi. 2020-21 FIH #HockeyStarsAwards results announced! Olympic Success Wave continues for India with @TheHockeyIndia winning big.A record number of almost 300’000 fans casted their votes for this year's Awards.CONGRATULATIONS to all winners and nominees!— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) October 6, 2021In the FIH 'Rising Star of the Year' category for men, Vivek Sagar Prasad won the award for the second consecutive time. He was nominated along with South Africa's Mustaphaa Cassiem and Australia's Sean Findlay. In the 'FIH Rising Star of the Year' category for women, Sharmila Devi won the award with maximum votes ahead of Great Britain's Fiona Crackles and Argentina's Valentina Raposo. Graham Reid got the 'FIH Coach of the Year' award. He was nominated along with Australia's Colin Batch and Belgium's Shane McLeod. Congratulating the award winners, Hockey India president Gyanendro Ningombam said, "This is a great moment for Indian hockey as all our Indian nominees for the FIH Stars Awards have been announced winners. After the historic performances in Tokyo by both the Indian men`s and women`s hockey teams, the support from Indian fans from across the globe has been overwhelming. We thank everyone who supported the nominees by voting for them. "This is a big moment for us and these awards will definitely inspire future generations to take up the sport professionally. On behalf of Hockey India, I congratulate all the award winners and wish them success in their future endeavours."Also Read- Sagar Rana murder case: Delhi court denies bail to Olympic wrestler Sushil Kumar
