Twelve teams will fight for the top places in the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 (Men’s Under 18) Qualifiers, set to begin at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on Tuesday, 20 December.
The tournament will take place from 20 December to 30 December 2022. The top eight teams, including hosts Madhya Pradesh, in the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 (Men’s Under 18) Qualifiers will qualify for the 5th Khelo India Youth Games 2022 (Men’s Under 18) that will take place from 04 February to 10 February 2023 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
The round-robin league stage will see six teams in each pool. In Pool A, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Haryana, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Chandigarh, Manipur Hockey and Hockey Andhra Pradesh will vie for places in the quarter-finals.
On the other hand, In Pool B, Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Association of Odisha, Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu Hockey, Hockey Bihar, Hockey Arunachal and Hockey Madhya Pradesh will battle it out for places in the quarter-finals.
The top four teams from each group will move on to the quarter-finals, to be held on 27th December. The winners will move on to Semi Finals on 29th December and the Final showdown will be held on 30th December.
Speaking about the upcoming event, Mr Dilip Tirkey, President Hockey India, said, “A player wants to be on the field every day because the more you play, the better you get, and there is no other alternative to this. The upcoming KIYG qualifier tournament is giving them yet another opportunity to showcase their talent and hone their skill. I am therefore really excited for these players and would like to take this opportunity to wish them luck for their respective matches.”
