The location for the Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-Final event in Argentina this June, has been confirmed. The Semi-Final leg for the men’s competition will take place in the ‘Centro Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo’ (CeNARD), Buenos Aires, in Argentina starting on the 3rd June and ending on the 14th June 2015.
It is the first time in its history, that the CeNARD will host a hockey event of this size and prestige, and a hockey event with so much at stake.
The HWL Semi-Final will consist of ten teams who will be battling it out for places in the HWL Final and for qualification places at the next Olympic Games.
The top four teams go forward to the HWL Final which will be held in India in December 2015, and the top three teams will qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.
Alongside the hosts, the teams confirmed so far are Spain, Germany, Korea, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The remaining four will be announced in late March, upon culmination of the HWL Round 2 events which are currently in progress.
“Having this type of hockey in Buenos Aires is amazing because people can see the dynamics of the live game, which is very different from how it looks on television," said Mariano Ronconi, one of the Argentinean coaching staff.
In preparation for the event, a new hockey turf will be installed, with similar characteristics to the turf used at the 2014 World Cup in The Hague. Additional stands will be arranged for the fans which are expected to be packed, as excitement and action are guaranteed at this hockey fiesta.
