Bhubaneswar: As the much awaited Hero Men’s Champions Trophy 2014 is all set to start in India, the Belgium hockey team arrived at Biju Patnaik International Airport today with spirited players who are ready to take on other teams in the prestigious tournament.
For the tournament, Belgium is like the Dark Horse of which has recently made a habit of creating upsets in every tournament. With their stunning performances in the 2012 London Olympics and 2014 FIH World Cup, Belgium will draw the maximum attention after host team India.
The team is led by experienced John-John Dohmen, who has played 273 international matches, and has an attacking striker Tom Boom, who was recently bought by Hero Hockey India League franchisee Dabang Mumbai for USD 103,000.
Speaking after arriving at the airport, Head Coach, Jeroen Delmee said, “Our aim will be to win every match we play and the most important thing is to keep improving our game during the tournament. Hero Champions Trophy 2014 will be the big test for us as the best hockey teams of the world are participating. No team can take other teams for granted as all the teams are training hard. I am happy where we stand as a team and this tournament will be our big test after the FIH World Cup. We are looking forward to the tournament and we will give our best.“
Speaking on the sidelines of the upcoming tournament, Captain John-John Dohmen said,“We have a strong team and our team strength for the Champions Trophy looks very impressive. A couple of new players are inducted in the team and this is a good platform for them to showcase their talents. We have to improve our game during the tournament to stay in the competition.”
Team Belgium is placed in Pool A, along with defending champions Australia, England and Pakistan. Belgium will play their first match against Pakistan on 6 December 2014 at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
The matches will be telecasted live on Ten Sports.
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