Field hockey at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Field hockey at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad
Venue	Olympic Hockey Center
Dates	6–19 August

Field hockey at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Tournament
men  women
Squads
men  women

Field hockey at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro is scheduled to take place from 6 to 19 August at the Olympic Hockey Center in Deodoro. The competition has instituted several changes in the format and structure from the 2012 Summer Olympics. Twenty-four teams (twelve each for men and women) will compete in the tournament.^[1]

Competition schedule

The match schedule of the men's tournament was unveiled on 27 April 2016.^[2][3]

G	Group stage	¼	Quarter-finals	½	Semi-finals	B	Bronze medal match	F	Final

Event↓/Date →	Sat 6	Sun 7	Mon 8	Tue 9	Wed 10	Thu 11	Fri 12	Sat 13	Sun 14	Mon 15	Tue 16	Wed 17	Thu 18		Fri 19
Men	G	G	G	G	G	G	G		¼		½		B	F
Women	G	G	G	G	G	G	G	G		¼		½			B	F

Format changes

On 20 March 2014, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) instituted the changes to the match format, reducing from two 35-minute halves to four 15-minute quarters, with 2 minutes' rest after each period, and 15 at halftime.^[4] The purpose of the changes aims to improve the flow and intensity of the competition, and reinforce fan experience and opportunity for game presentation and analysis. Other changes include the implementation of 40-second time outs following both penalty corner awards and the scoring of a goal. Both interruptions and time outs must assure that the 60-minute game time is escalated for actual tournament and not depleted with a penalty corner set up, especially when the ball is not in play.^[5] Games ending in ties in knockout rounds are decided by penalty shootouts, as overtime has been abolished since 2013.

According to Leandro Negre, president of FIH, “The decision today demonstrates our commitment to fan engagement. With the additional breaks, fans will have the opportunity to enjoy more replays and be more engaged with the event, whether in the stadium or watching from a far, while hockey commentators will be allowed more time to provide sport analysis between plays. In addition, coaches and players will see improvement in their performance with the additional opportunities to re-hydrate and re-strategize.”^[5]

Qualification

Men's qualification

Each of the Continental Champions from five confederations receive an automatic berth. Brazil as the host nation qualified automatically but with a rider. Due to the standard of field hockey in Brazil, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) required Brazil to place higher than thirtieth in the FIH World Rankings by the end of 2014 or finish no worse than sixth at the 2015 Pan American Games in order to qualify as host nation. They achieved this by beating the United States on a penalty shoot-out in the quarterfinal, ensuring a top four finish. In addition, the six highest placed teams at the Semifinals of the 2014–15 FIH Hockey World League not already qualified will receive the remaining berths in this tournament.^[6][7]

Dates	Event	Location	Qualifier
20 September – 2 October 2014	2014 Asian Games	Incheon, South Korea	India
3–14 June 2015	2014–15 FIH Hockey World League Semifinals	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Germany
			Canada
			Spain
			New Zealand
20 June – 5 July 2015		Antwerp, Belgium	Belgium
			Great Britain
			Ireland
21 July 2015	Host nation	Toronto, Canada	Brazil
14–25 July 2015	2015 Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada	Argentina
21–29 August 2015	2015 EuroHockey Nations Championship	London, England	Netherlands
21–25 October 2015	2015 Oceania Cup	Stratford, New Zealand	Australia
23 October – 1 November 2015	2015 African Qualifying Tournament	Randburg, South Africa	—^1
Total			12

^1 – South Africa won the continental qualifier however the team will not participate in the 2016 Olympics. South African sports confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and South African Hockey Association (SAHA) made an agreement on the Rio 2016 Olympics qualification criteria that the Continental Qualification route will not be considered.^[8][9] As a result, New Zealand, as the highest-ranked team from the 2014-15 Hockey World League Semifinals not already qualified, will participate instead.^[10][11]

Women's qualification

Each of the continental champions from five confederations receive an automatic berth. The host nation didn't qualify as they didn't place higher than fortieth in the FIH World Rankings by the end of 2014 nor finished no worse than seventh at the 2015 Pan American Games (they didn't even qualify for that tournament). This restriction was decided between the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to the standard of field hockey in Brazil. In addition, the seven highest placed teams at the Semifinals of the 2014–15 FIH Hockey World League not already qualified will receive the remaining berths in this tournament.^[12]

Date	Event	Location	Qualifier
20 September – 2 October 2014	2014 Asian Games	Incheon, South Korea	South Korea
10–21 June 2015	2014–15 FIH Hockey World League Semifinals	Valencia, Spain	China
			Germany
			Argentina
			Spain
20 June – 5 July 2015		Antwerp, Belgium	Netherlands
			New Zealand
			India
			Japan
13–24 July 2015	2015 Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada	United States
22–30 August 2015	2015 EuroHockey Nations Championship	London, England	Great Britain^1
21–25 October 2015	2015 Oceania Cup	Stratford, New Zealand	Australia
23 October – 1 November 2015	2015 African Qualifying Tournament	Randburg, South Africa	—^2
Total			12

^1 – Competed as England

^2 – South Africa won the continental qualifier however the team will not participate in the 2016 Olympics. South African sports confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and South African Hockey Association (SAHA) made an agreement on the Rio 2016 Olympics qualification criteria that the Continental Qualification route will not be considered.^[13][14] As a result, Spain, as the highest-ranked team from the 2014-15 Hockey World League Semifinals not already qualified, will participate instead.^[15][16]

Men's competition

The competition consists of two stages; a group stage followed by a knockout stage.

Group stage

Teams are divided into two groups of six nations, playing every team in their group once. Three points are awarded for a victory, one for a draw. The top four teams per group qualify for the quarter-finals.

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Quarter-finals
2	Belgium	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Brazil (H)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Great Britain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played on 6 August 2016. Source: FIH
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head result.
(H) Host.

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Quarter-finals
2	Canada	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Germany	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	India	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Ireland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played on 6 August 2016. Source: FIH
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head result.

Knockout stage

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Gold medal match
	14 August
	Winners Group A
					16 August
	Fourth-placed team Group B
	14 August
	Runners-up Group B
									18 August
	Third-placed team Group A
	14 August
	Runners-up Group A
					16 August
	Third-placed team Group B
	14 August
									Bronze medal match
	Winners Group B
									18 August
	Fourth-placed team Group A

Women's competition

The competition consists of two stages; a group stage followed by a knockout stage.

Group stage

Teams are divided into two groups of six nations, playing every team in their group once. Three points are awarded for a victory, one for a draw. The top four teams per group qualify for the quarter-finals.

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	China	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Quarter-finals
2	Germany	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	South Korea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played on 7 August 2016. Source: FIH
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head result.

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Quarter-finals
2	Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Great Britain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	India	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	United States	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played on 6 August 2016. Source: FIH
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head result.

Knockout stage

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Gold medal match
	15 August
	Winners Group A
					17 August
	Fourth-placed team Group B
	15 August
	Runners-up Group B
									19 August
	Third-placed team Group A
	15 August
	Runners-up Group A
					17 August
	Third-placed team Group B
	15 August
									Bronze medal match
	Winners Group B
									19 August
	Fourth-placed team Group A

Medal summary

Medal table

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1		0	0	0	0
Total		2	2	2	6

Medalists

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Men
Women

See also

• Field hockey at the 2015 Pan American Games

References

1. "Rio 2016 – FIH Hockey Qualification System" (PDF). FIH. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
2. "Hockey giants set to renew rivalries as match schedule unveiled for Rio 2016 Olympic Games". rio2016.com. 27 April 2016.
3. "Rio 2016 Olympic Games hockey schedules confirmed". fih.ch. 27 April 2016.
4. "Exclusive: Hockey quarters format for Rio 2016 Games here to stay, says FIH chief executive". Inside the Games. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
5. "FIH announces format change set to improve hockey experience". FIH. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
6. "Rio 2016 – FIH Hockey Qualification System" (PDF). FIH. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
7. "Brazil Men confirm their place in the hockey event at Rio 2016". FIH. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
8. Agreement between SASCOC and SAHA
9. Rio 2016 Olympics Selection Criteria for SA Hockey Association
10. "Qualification Criteria" (PDF).
11. "Spain women and New Zealand men invited to Rio 2016 Olympic Games hockey events". FIH. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
12. "Rio 2016 – FIH Hockey Qualification System" (PDF). FIH. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
13. Agreement between SASCOC and SAHA
14. Rio 2016 Olympics Selection Criteria for SA Hockey Association
15. "Qualification Criteria" (PDF).
16. "Spain women and New Zealand men invited to Rio 2016 Olympic Games hockey events". FIH. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.

External links

• Field hockey at Rio2016.com