GB men draw Australia, Spain, Pakistan and Argentina in London 2012 pools

[img_assist|nid=3369|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=150|height=187]With the 11th team (Korea) now qualified to the London Olympic Games following the Road to London Tournament in Dublin, the Olympic picture is becoming clearer for the men’s tournament as the preliminary round groups are known. 

The 11 confirmed teams are: Australia, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Korea, Pakistan, New Zealand, Argentina, India, and Belgium. The final place in GB’s pool A will go to the winner of the Road to London tournament in Japan on May 6.

Since Korea is the number six team in the FIH World Ranking the men’s preliminary round groups are confirmed for the Olympic Games and are as follows:

Group A                                    
Australia                                 
Great Britain                            
Spain                                
Pakistan                                 
Argentina                                
Winner Japan OQ                     

Group B
Germany
Netherlands
Korea
New Zealand
India
Belgium

The Olympic groups are determined by the qualified teams’ place in the FIH World Ranking.  The London Games will begin on July 27, with the men’s tournament kicking off on July 29. The closing ceremony is on August 12.