Ottawa, September 20 – Field Hockey Canada is pleased to announce the Men’s National Team nominated to the Canadian Olympic Committee to compete at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, October 14 – 30. This will be the first opportunity for Canada to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
The Canadian Men enter the tournament as the top ranked Pan American team and are looking to defend their 1st place finish at the 2007 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“This opportunity represents the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment from our athletes and staff alike,” says Head Coach Robin D’Abreo. “Over the course of the last eight months we have been exposed to both Pan American and European based competition that I feel have prepared us well for the challenge ahead.”
This team represents a broad group of athletes, and solid leadership with a good amount of Pan American Games experience. It will be the fifth Games for veteran Rob Short and Team Captain Ken Pereira.
“I’m always excited to represent Canada at the Pan Ams,” says Pereira. “The team is looking forward to it, especially since this will be our first opportunity to qualify for London 2012. Those of us who have been to the Olympics want to go back – and we are excited for the new guys to experience what it’s like to compete in an Olympic qualifier. The summer has been great preparation and we are looking to peak physically and mentally in Guadalajara.
“I’m very pleased with the sixteen guys that have been selected to play for Team Canada. There is a good mix of young players and veterans. We also have an entire squad of guys behind us that have been training hard and pushing the whole team to a higher level.”
ATHLETES NOMINATED TO COMPETE FOR TEAM CANADA
1. David Carter (Vancouver, BC)
2. Adam Froese (Abbotsford, BC)
3. Jagdish Gill (Toronto, ON)
4. Matthew Guest (Vancouver, BC)
5. Richard Hildreth (Vancouver, BC)
6. David Jameson (Vancouver, BC)
7. Antoni Kindler (Vancouver, BC)
8. Mark Pearson (Tsawwassen, BC)
9. Ken Pereira (Unionville, ON)
10. Keegan Pereira (Ajax, ON)
11. Rob Short (Tsawwassen, BC)
12. Sukhwinder “Gabbar” Singh (Mississauga, ON)
13. Iain Smythe (Vancouver, BC)
14. Scott Tupper (Vancouver, BC)
15. Jesse Watson (North Vancouver, BC)
16. Philip Wright (Vancouver, BC)
STAFF
Head Coach: Robin D’Abreo
Assistant Coach: Anthony Farry
Manager: Andrew Schouten
Sports Psychologist: Bruce Pinel
Physiotherapist: Bob Dunlop
Physician: Navin Prasad
Video: Inderpal Sehmbi
The Canadian Olympic Committee will confirm the men’s and women’s nominations in an official announcement later this month.
Field Hockey Canada (FHC), based in Ottawa, ON, is the National Sports Organization responsible for the development and growth of field hockey in Canada. In collaboration with provincial and club members, FHC provides programs and resources to support the field hockey community from the pitch to the podium. FHC is committed to equipping the National Field Hockey Teams for success as they train in Vancouver, BC. National Teams include Senior Men, Senior Women, Junior Men and Junior Women.
Approximately 15,000 Canadians participate in field hockey, which is currently played in more than 600 schools and 400 clubs across the country.
