Bengaluru: The Indian men's hockey team left from the Kempegowda International Airport here on Sunday evening for Belgium tour. They will be playing a total of five matches against Belgium and Spain in Antwerp, Belgium, scheduled from September 26 to October 3.
Ahead of the tour, Indian hockey head coach Graham Reid, in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, said that the Indian squad is strong and experienced and the Belgium tour will be very important for the team as it helps them to address the key areas in their game before the Men in Blue play against Russia in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha in November.
"We have a very good, experienced and strong squad for Belgium tour, which is a very important part of our preparation for the upcoming Olympic Qualifiers," Reid said.
Reid also claimed that the hockey tournament at the Olympic Games is very tough and it's not easy to win a medal in the event, hence India will have to leave no stone unturned in order to finish on the podium.
"The Olympic Games is a very difficult hockey tournament and it's very difficult to win. Every team is trying its best for four years to crack the best opportunity for them to win. So, it's not an easy tournament to be successful at. Therefore we have to do everything we can to try and lift the performance of the team and that's what we are trying to do at the moment," 55-year-old Reid said.
Meanwhile, Indian men's team will start their tour of Belgium with their first match against Belgium on September 26, following which they will play two matches against Spain on September 28 and 29 at the same venue. The India team will then face world number two Belgium again in two matches which will be played on October 1 and 3.
