With less than 24 hours to go until the start of the 14th edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, which will take place in the cities of Chennai and Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, here are the latest statements from the participating teams:
Lucas Balthazar, captain, Belgium
“The last two World Cups haven’t gone our way and that only fuels our hunger even more. We have a talented group and excellent coaches; everything here is for success. Now it’s about getting the chemistry to work, finding our rhythm and turning potential into performance. In addition to results, we also want to set the tone with our attitude, by leading by example, on and off the field.”
Oriol Torras, Head Coach, Spain
“Our aim for the World Cup is to build on the progress we have made in recent years. The European Championship title demonstrated the quality and cohesion of the team, while the bronze medal at the previous World Cup confirmed our consistency at the highest level. We approach this tournament with respect for our opponents and confidence in our preparation, fully committed to competing for the top positions.”
Matthew NyckowiakCaptain, Austria
“We are looking forward to the Junior World Cup with great enthusiasm. As a young and ambitious team, we want to play with courage, do our utmost on the pitch and show that we are ready to compete with the best countries in the world. For us, it is all about growing together as a team and gaining valuable experience at the highest level.”
Casper van der Veen, Captain, Netherlands
“We are proud to play in orange and strive for maximum results during the Junior World Cup. We want to show unity and go through fire for each other.”
PR Sreejesh, Head Coach, India
“The Junior World Cup is the ultimate test of our preparation, mentality and teamwork. Our focus is on playing fearless, fast and disciplined hockey – the kind that reflects the legacy of Indian hockey. These boys have worked hard to earn this opportunity, and we are confident they will make the country proud on the world stage.”
Dan Neuhoff, Captain, South Africa
“Our expectation is to compete, not just make up numbers. We aim to represent our country with pride and compete with the best players and teams in the U21 age group.”
Yannick Knuffel & Jens FlukCo-captains, Switzerland
“We come to India with passion, team spirit and great ambitions. The Junior World Cup is our opportunity to prove Switzerland’s strength on the world stage and exceed expectations.”
Gaspard Denis, captain, France
“Our ambition for the World Junior Championships is to achieve the best possible result. We want to give everything we have, play hockey the way we know best and rely on our strong team spirit to go as far as we can.”
Gus Nelson, Captain, New Zealand
“I’m really excited to be heading to India with an epic group of guys and staff. I know the group has worked hard to give ourselves the opportunity to do something special and bring home a medal.”
your bet Ahmed, Captain, Egypt
“We are so proud to represent our country on the international stage. We will give our best in every match we play and we hope to see many of our fans in India!”
MM Mehrab Hasan Samin, Captain, Bangladesh
“This is our first participation in a Junior World Cup. We want to play a competitive game. The team will arrive earlier in Chennai to acclimatize to the weather.”
Seunghan Son, Captain, Korea
“Forget what you knew about the Korean team. We have a single goal: the championship title, and we are here to claim it. Underestimate us at your peril; in the end, you will be watching us.”
Muhammad Danish Aiman Khairul Anuar, Captain, Malaysia
“Together we fight with heart, we play with pride and we leave everything on the field”
Ben HasbachCaptain, Germany
“We are really looking forward to the World Cup in India. Being the defending champions gives us extra motivation, but we don’t feel any pressure from it. We just want to play our game, show what we are capable of and push our limits together as a team.”
Yamato Kawahara, Captain, Japan
“We fight with pride as Japanese and show our true spirit and character. As long as we are here, we strive for nothing less than the title – to give courage and inspiration to all who watch.”
Felipe Richard, Captain, Chile
“I think one of our biggest challenges as a young team is to adapt to this international rhythm, which is not the same as what we experience in the Pan-American tournaments. But every time we take the field we always play good matches, so we are confident.”
Grant Simpson, Captain, Canada
“We are very excited and proud to represent the Maple Leaf at the Junior World Cup. We expect to compete in every match and challenge ourselves to perform against the best in the world. We are excited to showcase our passion and capabilities on the world stage.”
Liu Chao, Captain, China
“We extend our warmest congratulations on the gathering of the world’s best young talents at the Junior World Cup – may it be a grand celebration of sport. May our Chinese athletes compete with honor, strive for excellence and embody the true spirit and sportsmanship of China on the world stage.”
Mohammed Hobbs Bait Jandal, Head Coach, Oman
“It is a proud and historic moment for Oman to make its debut at the FIH Junior World Cup. Our young players are eager to compete, learn and represent our country with pride and passion. This tournament will be a great platform for their growth and for the future of Omani hockey.”
Tomas Ruiz, captain, Argentina
Expectations are very high, we are confident and would like to become champions. We have prepared ourselves very well, both physically and technically. We played a lot of friendly matches with local league teams and the senior national team, which gave us more confidence in each other. We are really looking forward to it and would like to travel to this World Cup.
Louis Rowe, Captain, Ireland
“We have something to prove at this tournament, and I think we can certainly show that with this group of players. It’s a young group, but we are hungry and excited about the opportunity to represent Ireland at a Junior World Cup and achieve something great together.”
John-Paul Britz, Captain, Namibia
“Reaching the Junior World Cup is a dream come true for our team and for the young hockey players at home. We will give everything on the field to show what Namibian hockey can do”
Toby Mallon, Australia, captain
“As a group we have built good momentum and confidence from a good performance in Johor, which has given us the confidence of knowing we can go deep in this tournament.”
Max Anderson, England, captain
“It’s an honor to be going to the World Junior Championships with this England squad. It’s my first World Cup and it’s the pinnacle of the game for us and I’m really looking forward to it. We’ve built a great culture and we’ve got some great players among us, so I think we can really show what we’re capable of.”
#RisingStars
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Source: FIH.hockey
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