Hockey World Cup: Japan receive a warm welcome on arrival in Odisha

Japan arrived in Odisha on Monday and received a warm reception at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.

Placed in Pool B with Belgium, Korea and Germany, head coach Akira Takahashi's side will begin their FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela campaign with a match against the German side on January 14. The Japan men's hockey team will, then, face Korea and Belgium in their group games, respectively.

Takahashi is confident of a good outing in the tournament and wants his players to give their 100 per cent in the tournament.

"We have played in India before and are excited to be here for the World Cup. Our team has some good players who can play well against the top sides in the tournament and it will be a pleasure to play in front of such a big crowd. The tournament is filled with top teams and we are ready to face them and produce exciting results," the head coach said.

The head coach also shed light on their preparations for the group matches which include the defending champions Belgium, and Germany as well.

He said, "Our team is really good and the players have belief in their abilities. We have top teams like Belgium and Germany in our group and the matches will be difficult against them in the group stage. However, we will give our 100 per cent in the match to win it."

Japan captain Seren Tanaka is also excited about the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela and wants to challenge top teams in the tournament.

"All the players are excited to be here and we have big ambitions in the tournament. As a team, we want to play exciting hockey and have confidence that we will be able to win the big matches in FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. Our team has a lot of experience and it will be crucial for us," Tanaka said.

--IANS

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( 385 Words)

2023-01-09-22:20:02 (IANS)