How the competing teams at the men’s Sahara Hockey Champions Trophy deal with the expected high temperatures is one of the greatest unknown factors in the lead up to the event starting in Terrassa, Spain, today.
Although play will start late in the afternoon, teams participating in the opening two matches each day are likely to be faced with oppressive temperatures being experienced in much of Europe.
In the lead-up to the event, temperatures exceeding 30 degrees have been the standard rather then the exception and these trying conditions are predicted top remain throughout the nine-day tournament.
The ability of each coach and their off-field staff to manage what is expected to be a physically demanding event will be a major factor in the success of each team.
The tournament starts this afternoon with a clash between Australia and Pakistan, followed by the home team against Germany. The final match on the opening day is between Netherlands and Argentina.
Pakistan captain Muhammad Saqlain will miss the opening three matches of the tournament as he serves a three-match ban for striking Australia striker Craig Victory in a tournament in Germany last year.
On the positive side for Pakistan, they have been buoyed by the return on penalty corner marksman Sohail Abbas from temporary retirement, along with former captain Waseem Ahmad.
Spain’s first Champions Trophy at home will further fuel their desire to add to the title they won in 2004, while Germany have been building steadily since last year, with the ultimate goal being success on home turf at the BDO Hockey World Cup in Mönchengladbach in September.
The final match between Netherlands and Argentina on day one will be an interesting clash considering these two teams contested a two-match series only last week. Both coaches will have held a little back for those encounters and will interesting to see how the respective teams line up on Saturday.
