In a historic moment for hockey at the Olympics, Rocio Sanchez and Eddie Ockenden have been chosen to be the flag bearers for Argentina and Australia respectively, at the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024, an honour that not only recognises their exceptional contributions to hockey but also highlights them as symbols of inspiration and dedication for athletes across the world.
Rocío Sánchez, a stalwart of the Argentine women's national hockey team, Las Leonas, has consistently demonstrated excellence on the field. Over a long storied career, that began all the way back in 2011, she has accumulated numerous accolades, including multiple medals at the Olympic Games, FIH Hockey World Cup and PanAm Games. Her leadership qualities, both on and off the field, have made her a beloved figure among teammates and fans alike, and in the Leonas squad for Paris 2024, she will play as the senior most pro, and the only player to have won two Olympic silver medals from London 2012 and Tokyo 2020.
Eddie Ockenden has had a stellar hockey career that very few who have played the sport can match. Starting his international career back in 2007 as a teenager, Ockenden has been a constant presence in the Kookaburras side ever since. His 445 international caps puts him third in the all-time appearances list behind only John-John Dohmen and Teun de Nooijer! At Paris 2024, Ockenden will make his 5th Olympic appearance for the Kookaburras and he comes as a three-time Olympic medalist with bronze medals in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, as well as a silver medal at Tokyo 2020, where Australia missed out on gold in a shoot-out loss to Belgium in the final. Also in Ockenden’s trophy cabinet sit three FIH Hockey World Cup medals, including two golds in 2010 and 2014, multiple Commonwealth Games gold medals and two FIH Hockey Pro League titles!
Rocío Sánchez and Eddie Ockenden’s selections as the flag bearers for Argentina and Australia at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 are fitting tributes to their outstanding contributions to hockey. As they prepare to lead their nations on the grandest stage of all, they do so with the hearts of champions and the pride of being true hockey heroes.
Speaking about receiving this opportunity, Eddie Ockenden said: “It goes without saying it’s an incredible honour to be asked to carry the Australian flag into the Opening Ceremony. I have been lucky enough to now compete at five Olympic Games. I have watched the Opening Ceremony at my past Games and felt such pride seeing our flag entering the stadium and leading our Teams. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to now have this honour and experience something with such a strong history and deep meaning. I feel like I’ll be able to take so much positive energy out of this for the Kookaburras, and I hope the whole Australian Team connect to this energy as well. I’m immensely proud to be representing Australia, Tasmania and my sport, hockey.”
Rocío Sánchez also shared similar sentiments, adding: “Today, we played a friendly match against Belgium on the Yves-du-Manoir main pitch. Excitement and anxiety are slowly rising as we get closer to the start. The stadium is beautiful and impressive, and once we arrived there, we realised the significance of this moment, especially for the newcomers. We are very focused and eager for the Games to start for good. Personally, I am happy and proud to carry the Argentinian flag at the Opening Ceremony tomorrow. I am here representing Las Leonas, and the fact that hockey can again carry the flag is just fantastic. It makes us all feel very proud. So, I'm looking forward to tomorrow and to the start of these new Olympic Games.”
The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will take place from 27 July to 9 August 2024. Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more details about the competition, visit Olympics.Hockey.
