Sixteen years ago, China's women's hockey team achieved the greatest achievement in Olympic hockey when they won the silver medal in their home Olympic hockey event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Though big names such as Ma Yibo and Fu Baorong have long since retired, there are clear signs that China is on the rise and the current generation has the ability to shine in the City of Light.
Under the guidance of coach Alison Annan, who won two Olympic gold medals with Australia and led the Dutch women's national team to World, European and Olympic titles, China have become a force to be reckoned with.
Finishing fifth in the 2023-24 FIH Hockey Pro League is China's best performance so far in the elite competition, beating countries such as Germany, India, the United States and Belgium, the latter's opponent in their opening match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Sunday (July 28). According to China captain Ou Zixia, the team is well prepared.
“I'm very happy and excited to be competing in a stadium with such great Olympic history,” the 28-year-old, who is competing in his second Olympic Games after competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics, said Saturday.
“I'm really looking forward to it. Of course we want to do well, but to do that we need to be focused in every game. The team will do our best to achieve the best results possible.” Commenting on China's ambitions at Paris 2024, Zixia said: “Firstly, we want to reach the knockout stage. Once we get there, it's win or lose, but we are aiming for the top four. We will fight in every game. I'm really looking forward to the first game. We want to show the world how China plays hockey on the Olympic stage.”
The hockey competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place from July 27 to August 9, 2024. The men's and women's competitions will feature 12 teams each, divided into two pools of six teams each, competing for the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal matches. For more information about the competition, visit Olympics.Hockey.
