Isolation Olympics: Hockey stars divided over no fans and families 

Tom Pilcher
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Isolation Olympics: Hockey stars divided over no fans and families 

With no families and fans to spur on some of the hardest working athletes in world sport, the Tokyo Olympics have a strange feel to them.

Argentina’s replacement goalkeeper Emiliano Bosso perfectly described a day in the life of an Olympian at these isolation games.

“I wake up in the morning and I have breakfast and eat inside the room. I get a taxi to go to the practice and back to the hotel. Dinner inside the room.”

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Fatherly inspiration for Roper sums up Team GB Olympic hockey spirit

Tom Pilcher
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Fatherly inspiration for Roper sums up Team GB Olympic hockey spirit

When Tokyo Olympic debutant Phil Roper was superbly teeing up Jack Waller for Team GB’s third goal in their opening win in Tokyo, he could well have been thinking of his dad.

Roper’s father Keith was an international hockey umpire when his son was growing up, a player who nearly made it to an Olympics himself, and the inspiration he provided the 29-year-old has fuelled the forward’s own Games push.

“We definitely have had a few fallings-out over the years with the umpires but my dad’s been an inspiration to me. He showed me the Olympics,” Roper said.

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Olympics hockey: Argentina’s Lucas Rossi handed suspension for scuffle

Hockey Paper staff
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Olympics hockey: Argentina’s Lucas Rossi handed suspension for scuffle

Argentina men have been forced to field only 15 players for their next match against hosts Japan after Lucas Rossi was handed a one-match suspension following the end-of-match fracas in the Argentina-Spain Pool match at the Olympic Games.

In accordance with FIH competition rules, his Code of Conduct suspension means that Argentina will be denied a full 16-strong match day squad – which could have an effect given the high heat and humidity in Tokyo.

The Argentina-Spain match ended in bizarre fashion on Saturday after Lucas Rossi took exception to Spain’s David Alegre receiving treatment from, bizarrely, one of Rossi’s team-mates who was aiding his cramp-suffering opponent.

Rossi, 36, had raced over and prodded his stick into Alegre’s head, perhaps thinking that he was feigning injury.

The Spanish players took exception to this and a scuffle followed as Rossi, 36, was pushed away with a hand around his throat.

“When you are in the Olympic Village it is like Euro Disney, but when you go onto the pitch it is like a normal game,” Alegre, contesting his fifth consecutive Olympics Games, had said afterwards. 

“The nerves, you must take them off the pitch and try to play hockey.”

Lucas Rossi of Argentina clashes with Spain’s David Alegre PIC: REUTERS/Phil Noble

Spain were heading for their second draw of the Games on Sunday against New Zealand before Jake Smith scored a late winner to beat the Reds 4-3.

Elsewhere in Pool A, Australia put on a strong showing against India to announce themselves as gold medal contenders.

Australia galloped to a 7-1 win as Blake Govers scored a double and Tim Brand netted a superb seventh for the Kookaburras from a typically pugnacious break.

Olympic hockey: Spain coach Adrian Lock tests positive for antigen

Rod Gilmour
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Olympic hockey: Spain coach Adrian Lock tests positive for antigen

Spain women were left without coach Adrian Lock after the Briton tested positive in the antigen control test ahead of their opening defeat to Australia on Sunday.

Lock, who tested negative for Covid last month, underwent a routine saliva check at the Olympic Village before being placed into isolation ahead of Spain’s 3-1 defeat.

All the Spanish players gave negative tests.

The Spanish Olympic Committee said in a statement that “a PCR test was performed, which has confirmed the adverse result. He is isolated and in quarantine.”

It is understood that Lock was forced to wait at the Olympic Village at the ‘fever clinic’ awaiting the result of a PCR after the daily antigens test which is mandatory for athletes and staff.

Lock is the second case in the Spanish Olympic team after Joseba Elguezabal, a masseur for the cycling team, gave a positive test on Friday.

On the pitch, the match swung in the third quarter with three goals in as many minutes, with Olympic debutant Rosie Malone playing a hand in both.

Stretched: Australia defend a penalty corner PIC: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

First Malone struck from an acute angle before she delivered the pass for Emily Chalker to tap in.

Bea Pérez did reduce the deficit for Spain before Grace Stewart gave the Hockeyroos more breathing space from a PC strike.

“We have not lost the game due to the absence of Adrian Lock, we have paid for our mistakes,” Perez told Spanish media.

Spain next face Argentina, who fell 3-0 to the Black Sticks.

Tokyo Hockey: Germany end Great Britain women’s Olympic run

Hockey Paper staff
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Tokyo Hockey: Germany end Great Britain women’s Olympic run

Captain Hollie Pearne-Webb admitted that the three points should have gone to Great Britain women as they lost their first match since the London 2012 semi-finals.

Due to the stifling heat, there were longer breaks during this Pool match played out in energy-sapping conditions as Germany prevailed 2-1 in a tight contest.

Both sides took the knee to show support in the fight against racism and social injustice and Die Danas captain Nike Lorenz sported a rainbow band on her left sock in support of the LGBTQ community.

“We’re gonna go back tonight, look at the stats and I think that’ll show that it was a really dominant performance,” said Pearne-Webb.

“Which in one way is really disappointing because on the balance of play I think the three points should have been ours.

“However, also really disappointing because we didn’t make sure it was three points. I think the difference was just in both circles.”

While Germany – with an average of 25 – recorded a single penalty corner, Great Britain had 11 PC chances – Giselle Ansley taking the majority – but Julia Sonntag had a standout game in Germany’s goal.

GB did open the scoring from a PCA as Sarah Jones, who played superbly, turned home a deflected corner towards the end of the first quarter.

The tables turned after the break as a penalty stroke offered Germany a way back. Viktoria Huse mishit her shot as Maddie Hinch went the wrong way, but the ball crawled over the line. The shot was not as slow as the several minutes delay for the video review, which has posed problems at these Olympics in the opening days.

“I had luck,” Huse said later. “When she chose the other side, it’s lucky on me. I looked back and said ‘Go. Go. Go. Go. This supported the ball goal to go in.”

Charlotte Stapenhorst then took advantage of a mistimed trap as Germany countered to deliver the killer punch at the Oi Stadium, turning home after a speedy Pia Maertens break.

Stapenhorst said: “It was a tough first 15 minutes. Everyone was a little nervous and you’ve seen some girls obviously playing in their first Olympics.

“There was a really, really intense feeling on the pitch, but then we started playing hockey and we started connecting.”

Tokyo Olympics Hockey: Ireland women ready to take on Holland

Hockey Paper staff
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Tokyo Olympics Hockey: Ireland women ready to take on Holland

Sarah Torrans says the Green Army will “show the world what we can do” against the world No 1 Dutch on Monday after Ireland women notched a debut Olympics win on Saturday.

Ireland made a dream start to life as a women’s Olympic hockey team as they got the best of South Africa by a 2-0 scoreline at the Oi Stadium.

Róisín Upton’s powerful low drag-flick in the ninth minute meant they held the lead from the outset, an advantage they eventually strengthened before the end of the third quarter via Torrans. 

“We’re gonna bring this performance to the next one,” said a delighted Torrans.

“We love the attacking style so we’re gonna recover well. Holland are obviously the best in the world so we need to kind of conserve ourselves a little bit but at the same time we don’t want to hold back too much. 

“We’re gonna come out fighting on Monday and show the world what we can do.”

There were further corner chances which went incomplete but goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran never looked unduly troubled in a composed defensive outing.

Matthews was denied a third by Mbande’s brilliant diving stop but Ireland content to win with a two-goal cushion.

Holland women eased to a 5-1 win over India with four second half goals, including a first ever Olympic goal for Margot van Geffen.

“It’s cool, it’s a great start but it’s not what I’m here for,” she said. “You know what I’m here for. It’s a good start, a 5-1 win, and now we get ready for the next game.”

“It’s a bit of pressure [being world No.1] but we know it, we’ve won everything in the last four years. We know what we have to do and we just really like it and really want to show everybody how good we can play.”

BBC coverage of Tokyo Olympics hockey leaves fans in muddle

Hockey Paper staff
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BBC coverage of Tokyo Olympics hockey leaves fans in muddle

Live television coverage of the hockey left fans confused on the opening day of the Olympics.

Coverage of Team GB men’s opening Pool match against South Africa was not played in full by the BBC with the corporation trimming down on blanket coverage of the Games to around 350 hours.

With US company Discovery, parent of Eurosport, putting in a huge bid back in 2015 to showcase the Olympics, the BBC are screening only two live events at a time, with the deal never likely to please all Olympic fans.

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Tokyo Olympics Hockey: Fracas in heat as Argentina and Spain go head-to-head

Tom Pilcher
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Tokyo Olympics Hockey: Fracas in heat as Argentina and Spain go head-to-head

From the ‘Euro Disney’ feel of the athletes’ village to pitch tempers in the Olympic cauldron. The mercury wasn’t the only thing rising in Spain and Argentina’s men’s Pool A opening clash at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – hockey’s old guard got heated too.

When Spanish forward David Alegre went down with cramp at the death, Argentine 2016 gold medallist Lucas Rossi used his stick to prod his fallen opponent, prompting a bad-tempered fracas as the players also contended with energy-sapping heat in the 1-1 draw.

Defender Rossi’s meltdown was all the more bizarre considering his teammate Matias Rey was helping Alegre at the time before Spaniard Xavier Lleonart angrily ushered Rossi, 36, away and remonstrated with officials.

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Tokyo Olympics Hockey: Alexander Hendrickx hailed as ‘one of the best’ as Belgium canter

Tom Pilcher
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Tokyo Olympics Hockey: Alexander Hendrickx hailed as ‘one of the best’ as Belgium canter

TOKYO — There was no chance of Belgium cutting any corners as they aim to become the fourth country to win Olympic gold as reigning men’s world champions.

Instead, they were busy scoring from corners.

Twice in five minutes to be precise – with a penalty flick too – all courtesy of defender Alexander Hendrickx, as the Europeans beat their neighbours Netherlands 3-1 in an action-packed Tokyo 2020 Olympics opener.

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Tokyo Olympics hockey: Great Britain men off to fast start

Tom Pilcher
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Tokyo Olympics hockey: Great Britain men off to fast start

Fast starts in both halves propelled Team GB to an opening 3-1 Pool B win against South Africa at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The masked Sam Ward fired home from a penalty corner after two minutes then Liam Ansell also scored two minutes into the third quarter.

GB’s early lead was immediately scrubbed out by Hampstead & Westminster top flicker Matthew Guise-Brown in the third minute, also from a penalty corner, but it was the only time the South Africans troubled the scorers. 

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