Sixteen athletes have been selected to the New Zealand Men’s Hockey Team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
New Zealand will begin their Olympic campaign against India, July 28, before also facing defending champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, and Ireland in the pool stage.
The side will feature two athletes at their fourth Olympic Games (Hugo Inglis, Simon Child) and six at their first, showcasing a good blend of experience and youth which has been developed over the last three years, culminating in the team’s impressive tournament victory at the FIH Nations Cup in Poland earlier this month.
Head Coach Greg Nicol says the team is peaking at the right time with a lot of work having been done to get Games ready.
“We have worked exceptionally hard to get ourselves to the physical level we need to be at, but we have also worked hard on supporting each other on and off the pitch,” said Nicol.
“One of our themes is kotahitanga - unity - and the notion that we are all climbing this mountain together and are helping each other become the best versions of ourselves.”
Nic Woods has been named to captain the team and agrees they're in a good space and coming into the Games on form.
“We’ve had some excellent preparation this year and we’re coming into Paris with belief in our abilities as a team,” said Woods.
“We will definitely be the underdogs but we relish the challenge and opportunity to try and do something truly special.”
Team members were this afternoon presented with their playing kit by members of New Zealand’s gold medal winning hockey team from the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. The kit features a homage to the 1976 side, featuring the names of the athletes inside the shirt, as well as a similar design to that worn in Montreal.
NZOC CEO Nicki Nicol extended her congratulations to the athletes.
“Well done to all the athletes named today. It was fantastic to see the New Zealand hockey team win the FIH Nations Cup earlier this month and we wish the team all the best with the rest of its preparation ahead of Paris 2024,” said Nicol.
The team is:
Nic Woods (Captain)
Dom Dixon
Charlie Morrison
Kane Russell
Blair Tarrant
Simon Yorston
Sean Findlay
Isaac Houlbrooke
Joe Morrison
Hayden Phillips
Scott Boyde
Simon Child
Sam Lane
Jake Smith
Hugo Inglis
Dane Lett
Leon Hayward, Brad Read and Malachi Buschl have been selected as travelling reserves. George Enersen, Benji Culhane, David Brydon, Aidan Sarikaya, George Baker, Jonty Elmes and Sam Hiha have been selected as non-travelling reserves.