We are on our toes to qualify, asserts Manpreet Singh

We are on our toes to qualify, asserts Manpreet Singh

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Manpreet Singh is adamant that the only thing on the Indian hockey team's mind is to secure qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Rani Rampal added that her group of players are also gunning to repeat their feat of Rio 2016, where they successfully made the cut.

The Indian men’s hockey team skipper - Manpreet Singh - is highly confident that his side is focused on making the cut to feature at next year’s Olympic Games which will be held in Tokyo. The eight-time champions are working hard towards achieving their target, as they gear up for a tough season which involves a tour to Belgium.

"We have a countdown chart as well and we frequently keep on reminding ourselves about how many days are left for the qualifying and how many days before the first hockey match at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," Singh said. "We are on our toes to qualify. It's not just us players but the coaching staff too remind us about how many days are left for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the goals we need to achieve ahead of this milestone event.

We have set short goals to work on our grey areas, besides, which team we have to play against at the upcoming tournaments such as the Olympic Test event, Belgium Tour and what implications this would have on the Qualifying event in November. We have mapped out every detail to ensure we do better," Manpreet was quoted as saying by PTI sources.

Meanwhile, Indian women’s team skipper Rani Rampal is determined to repeat the formula that saw them qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics and subsequently finish 12th.

"We have all made personal sacrifices to ensure the team is put ahead of everything else and we are working towards one goal, which is to qualify for the Olympics. It's very important for us to reinstate that qualifying for Rio Olympics was not a one-off incident and that hockey fans can expect the women's team to create good results at major competitions," Rampal added.

The 2020 Olympics is scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9 next year, with the preliminary rounds of hockey for both men and women scheduled to start on July 25.

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