Paris Olympics: What to know and who to watch during the field hockey competition

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FILE - Netherlands players celebrate after beating Argentina in the women’s gold medal field hockey match during the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

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FILE - Argentina’s Zoe Diaz challenges United States Amanda Golini during the FIH Hockey Pro League mini tournament game between Argentina and USA at the Wilrijkse Plein in Antwerp, Belgium, Saturday, May 25, 2024. Golini is a co-captain of the U.S. women’s field hockey team, which qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The U.S. begins pool play July 27. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

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FILE - American field hockey player Kelsey Bing, 26, answers questions during an interview Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. Bing is part of the U.S. women’s field hockey team that qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The U.S. begins pool play July 27. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

A roadmap to follow for the field hockey competition during the Paris Olympics:

Athletes to Watch

—Yibbi Jansen, Netherlands: With three-time gold medal-winning Lidewij Welten gone, the favored Dutch are relying on the next generation of talent for their pursuit of back-to-back Olympic titles. Jansen leads that group, having already scored 56 goals for the national team by age 24.

—Harmanpreet Singh, India: The 28-year-old captain of the world’s seventh-ranked team is tasked with helping his country medal in field hockey again after taking home bronze in Tokyo.

—Amanda Golini, United States: A key performer on an American team that lacks Olympic experience, the 29-year-old midfielder from Randolph, New Jersey, has played internationally at other competitions, and she should be one of the leaders as a co-captain.

—Florent van Aubel, Belgium: The 32-year-old forward was the leading scorer for Belgium in Olympic qualifying. He is expected to be a crucial part of the offensive attack for the defending champions.

Storylines to Follow

—Ranked No. 1 in the world on either side, the Netherlands is looking to become the first country to sweep the men’s and women’s competitions since 1980, when women’s field hockey entered the Olympics. Nearby Belgium presents the biggest threat on the men’s side after winning gold at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 in a penalty shootout against Australia. Traditionally strong Argentina and Germany are two of the top contenders for the women’s tournament.

—The U.S. women — back after missing Tokyo, while the men did not qualify — are aiming for a long-shot bid at the country’s third Olympic medal and first since bronze in 1984.

—Field hockey will take place at Stade Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes on the outskirts of the city, the only 2024 venue that was used when Paris hosted the 1924 Games.

Key Dates

Group play begins July 27, including the U.S. women playing the first of their five Pool B games against Argentina. The quarterfinals are Aug. 4 for the men and Aug. 5 for the women, followed by the men’s semifinals on Aug. 6 and the women on Aug. 7. The men’s medal matches are Aug. 8, and the women close out their tourney on Aug. 9.

Reigning Olympic Champions

Women: Netherlands.

Men: Belgium.

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AP Olympics https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)