Paris Olympics 2024: India clubbed in Pool B alongside Belgium, Australia in men’s hockey

India's men's hockey team has been placed in Pool B for the Paris 2024 Olympics, alongside champions Belgium, the draw released on Wednesday (Mar 6) revealed.

Experts have dubbed Pool B the 'group of death' as alongside India (world no. 4) and Belgium (world no.2), the likes ofAustralia (world no. 5), Argentina (world no. 7), New Zealand (world no. 10) and Ireland (world no. 12) have also been classified.

India, the 12-time medallists in field hockey, qualified for the 2024 edition of the Summer Olympics after winning the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China.

The men-in-blue will open the campaign against New Zealand on July 27.Notably, the last time India played NZ in its opening game at the Olympics was in Mexico City, in 1968.

The next encounter will be against Argentina, followed by Ireland and Belgium with India's Achilles heel in such tournaments, Australia, squaring up in the final league encounter. All matches will take place at theStade Yves-du-Manoir in Paris.

Indian men’s hockey team’s schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympics:

• July 27 – India vs New Zealand (9 pm IST)
• July 29 – India vs Argentina (4:15 pm IST)
• July 30 – India vs Ireland (4:45 pm IST)
• August 1 – India vs Belgium (1:30 pm IST)
• August 2 – India vs Australia (4:45 pm IST)

Meanwhile, Pool A of the tournament will feature the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, France and South Africa.

Despite the tough draw, hopes will be high from the Indian contingent, especially after its stellar performance at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The Indian team ended a 41-year medal drought by clinching the bronze medal after staging astunning comeback against Germany.

India's renaissance

India's renaissance in the hockey world is an endearing feat as the country once ruled the sport, winning sixconsecutive golds from 1928 to 1956.

The golden run of Indian Hockey came to a halt at the 1960 Olympics but the team managed to make a comeback in the medal tally in the next quadrennial event in Tokyo.

The Mexico Olympics in 1968 was when the winning juggernaut came to a halt as Indiasettled for a bronze, which incidentally marked the beginning of a downfall. The downward spiral continued for several decades before hitting the rock bottom in 2008 when the Indian side failed toqualify for the Beijing Olympics, for the first time in its history.

However, slow yet sure improvementsin the hockey setup of country yielded results as the men's team got the monkey off its back in 2021 and returned with the medal.

(With inputs from agencies)