The Red Caribou look to make history at Tokyo Games
The men’s national field hockey team touched down in Okayama, Japan last week to prepare for the Tokyo Summer Games. They have since played two test matches against the host-country Japan, winning both. Now, they call athletes village home for the next 10 days.
Like many teams heading to this year’s games, it has been a long road to get to this moment. 21 months long to be exact, since the dramatic 2019 Olympic Qualifiers. The team has faced many challenges over the last year and a half, but according to team captain, Scott Tupper, that is behind the team now, and all that matters is the present.
“Honestly, it just is behind us. A few months ago, when you heard or read stuff about the Games and whether it’s going to go or not; it was tougher,” Tupper said. “But now, we’re here. We’re playing tomorrow. We are fully locked in and focused. We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing Germany in our first game.”
Head coach, Pasha Gademan echoes Tupper’s sentiment. For him, it’s about maximizing this team’s potential at this crucial moment. Gademan said that every game presents the opportunity to secure points.
“We have done our best to come in physically and mentally prepared. We have five games in seven days; that’s an intense load,” Gademan said. “If we want to stay here longer than a week, we’ll have to go out there and do something special. We can’t just focus on one or two specific matchups. We need to go out and fight for points at every possible moment.”
The Red Caribou play in a warm-up match against New Zealand at the Tokyo 2020 venue. Photos/Yan Huckendubler
Team Canada is ranked 10th in the world and opens their Olympic campaign on Saturday, July 24 against Europe’s silver medallist, Germany (5). Germany arrives in Japan hot off a European finals berth and a third-place performance in the 2021 Pro League. Canada follows up with round-robin matches against Great Britain (6), Belgium (2), Netherlands (3), and South Africa (14)
It’s no secret that Canada is targeting the South Africa game as a must-win, but with only the top-4 countries in each pool advancing to the championship bracket, both Tupper and Gademan know they will have to earn multiple results along the way.
“We know we are going in as a bit of an underdog into most games,” Tupper said. “We have to play well in every game. Even if it’s a game where we are down, we still have to protect against the tiebreaker. If you have a strong finish in a [loss], you can still feel really good and get momentum from that game. We need to put together 60-minute performances and take points at any spot we can get them.”
History to be made in Japan
Canada has history in Japan. In fact, the first time a Canadian field hockey team qualified for an Olympic Games was in 1964 in Tokyo, where they finished 13th place. Since then, the team has qualified for six of the last 13 Summer Games with a best finish of 10th place. Before their dramatic qualifications for Rio and Tokyo, the last time Canada had qualified for back-to-back games on the men’s side was in 1984/88.
The goal is crystal clear heading into Tokyo 2020: Make history and become the top finishing Canadian men’s field hockey team ever. Tupper said the team will need to bring their A-game to every match. For the returners, the sting of bowing out in the pool-play stage of Rio is still lingering. Tupper hopes the team can draw on that experience and the World Cup experience from 2018 to give them every possible advantage heading into the Games.
“In Rio, we played okay at times, and not as good at other times. We were inconsistent,” Tupper recalls. “It’s difficult to knock teams off at these big-time events. We are more prepared this time around and we know what is expected of us. If we play well, we have the ability to beat any team here.”
Roster Balance
Including the active reserves, this year’s team features nine athletes returning from the Rio 2016 roster and nine first-time Olympians.
Returners: Brenden Bissett, Taylor Curran, Gabe Ho-Garcia, Gordon Johnston, Sukhi Panesar, Mark Pearson, Keegan Pereira, Matt Sarmento and Scott Tupper.
First Timers: Fin Boothroyd, Brendan Guraliuk, Antoni Kindler, James Kirkpatrick, Brandon Pereira, Oliver Scholfield, John Smythe, Floris van Son and Jamie Wallace
Left to right: Fin Boothroyd, Antoni Kindler and Jamie Wallace are all making their Olympic debuts. Photos/Yan Huckendubler
In an earlier interview after the team was announced, Tupper spoke about the chemical balance of the team and how it represents a great combination of youthful energy and veteran experience.
“Having that experience of going through a major Games or two is really important. We’ve been through it all before so we know what to expect,” he added. “With that said, it’s also really nice to have that young injection of energy and youth. They are wide-eyed and seeing things for the first time. That fresh attitude can remind us how truly amazing this experience is. I think striking that balance is great for our team.”
Tokyo 2020 will be Tupper’s third Olympic Games following his appearances with the team at Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016. Mark Pearson joins him as the other three-time Olympian on the Red Caribou roster.
“Personally, to be able to compete in a third Olympics is definitely something I’m incredibly proud of and excited for,” said Tupper, who was also Team Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearer at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. “Anytime you get to represent your country, it’s a huge honour. I cherish my Olympic experiences and am looking forward to this year’s Games.”
Let the Games Begin
Team Canada is eager to get underway. For the Red Caribou, it’s been 21 months since qualifying and this week has been a long time coming. Tupper said the team is ready to show their best stuff on the world’s biggest stage.
“I think there were some concerns coming in about the COVID protocols and how everything was going to feel. But now that we’re here, it honestly still feels like the Olympics, just with masks on.”
“The guys have a little bit of anxious energy right now. It was great to get those test games against Japan and it’s been good to be training on the Olympic pitch,” Tupper said. “But we’re ready to get out there and play.”
We hope you are as excited for Tokyo 2020 action as we are. We are thrilled to announce that every second of Team Canada field hockey action will be streamed/televised live by CBC. Click below for streaming details. In addition, Field Hockey Canada will be hosting an online chat-thread for every game, and special watch parties for our Great Britain and Belgium games. See below for more details.
WATCH ALL GAMES LIVE HERE | WATCH PARTY / TEAM CANADA FAN THREAD
