The Indian women’s hockey failed to qualify for a third consecutive Olympic Games, losing out by the narrowest of margins.
This article originally appeared in The Field’s newsletter, Game Points, on January 24, 2024. Sign up here to get the newsletter directly delivered to your inbox every week.
The Indian women’s hockey team went into a huddle in the dugout of the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh stadium in Ranchi last Friday. They wore forlorn expressions. Some may have had tears already streaming down their faces.
This was the end of the road on their attempted journey to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
At the Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi over the past week, the women’s team competed in an eight-team tournament where only the top three finishers would earn tickets to Paris. India finished fourth, short by just a goal – the narrowest of margins with the greatest devastation.
Regardless of the disappointment of failing to make the Olympics, India must urgently take essential steps to ensure this is not the end of the line for women’s hockey.
