World’s best announced for Olympic test event

The event, which will take place at the Riverbank
Arena from 2-6 May 2012 in the Olympic Park, will feature the men’s
Australian and German teams who are currently ranked number one and
two in the world, the current women’s World Champions, Argentina,
as well as both the men’s and women’s British teams as they prepare
for the Games.
The tournament will also feature a men’s team from
India, women’s teams from China and Korea and will give all eight
teams the chance to compete in a tournament for the first time in
the Olympic Park. The Riverbank Arena, a temporary venue, will be
fully completed and will host up to 60,000 spectators over the
eight sessions of the tournament.
The Visa International Invitational Hockey
Tournament will be used by London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG)
to test key operations ahead of the Games. This will be the first
time spectators have been in the Riverbank Arena, so spectator
flows will form a key part of testing. The field of play and video
referral, timing, scoring and results systems will also be tested
at the event as well as the workforce. Athletes and technical
officials will also be able to familiarise themselves and test
their operations ahead of the Games.
David Luckes, Head of Sport Competition at LOCOG
said: “The Riverbank Arena is one of the most striking venues in
the Olympic Park with its blue and pink pitches and it is vital
that we run an event which will test our field of play, the venue
and our workforce before the Games. We are delighted to have been
able to secure such a strong line-up of team’s for the Visa
International Invitational Hockey Tournament and offer the
spectators the chance to see world class hockey in the Olympic Park
just a few months before the Games.”
Leandro Negre, President of the International
Hockey Federation (FIH) added: “This is an exciting time for the
FIH to see the Riverbank Arena and the blue pitches in use for the
first time in senior international competition. With just three
months to go to the Olympics, the Visa International Invitational
Hockey Tournament will provide a taste of what is to come, with
hockey of the highest quality.”
Tickets will be on sale for the Visa International
Invitational Hockey Tournament in early spring.
The Visa International Invitational Hockey
Tournament will take place in the Olympic Park at the same time as
six other Olympic test events. This will form part of LOCOG’s
testing of spectator flows in the Park.
Schedule for Visa International Invitational Hockey
Tournament:
Wednesday 2 May
Session One:
11.00-12.30 Argentina v China – Women’s
Preliminaries
13.15-14.45 Great Britain v Korea – Women’s
Preliminaries
Session Two:
16.15-17.45 Australia v India – Men’s
Preliminaries
18.30-20.00 Great Britain v Germany – Men’s
Preliminaries
Thursday 3 May
Session One:
11.00-12.30 Argentina v Korea – Women’s
Preliminaries
13.15-14.45 China v Great Britain – Women’s
Preliminaries
Session Two:
16.15-17.45 Germany v Australia – Men’s
Preliminaries
18.30-20.00 Great Britain v India – Men’s
Preliminaries
Friday 4 May
Team Training
Saturday 5 May
Session One:
09.30-11.00 China v Korea – Women’s
Preliminaries
11.45-13.15 Great Britain v Argentina – Women’s
Preliminaries
Session Two:
14.45-16.15 Germany v India – Men’s
Preliminaries
17.00-18.30 Australia v Great Britain – Men’s
Preliminaries
Sunday 6 May
Session One:
09.30-11.00 3rd v 4th  – Women’s 3 v 4
Match
12.15-14.15 1st v 2nd  – Women’s Final
Match
Session Two:
15.45-17.45 3rd v 4th  – Men’s 3 v 4
Match
18.30-20.30 1st v 2nd  – Men’s Final
Match
About Riverbank Arena:
The Riverbank Arena is a temporary stadium based at
the northern end of the Olympic Park.  The centre will be the
only fully outdoor venue with seating for 16,000 spectators who
will enjoy stunning views south across the Olympic Park.
The complex includes two pitches, one for
competition and one for warm up. The main pitch will stage all of
the 76 Olympic hockey matches which will be spread over 14 days of
competition from 29 July to 11 August. There will be over 380
competitors from 24 teams competing in the men’s and women’s
competitions.
The Riverbank Arena will also be used to host both
the 5 and 7-a-side Paralympic Football Competitions. The warm up
pitch at the Riverbank Arena will host the 5-a-side competition.
The main pitch will host the 7-a-side competition. Competition runs
from 31 August – 9 September 2012.
After the Games, the temporary arena will be
dismantled and elements will be moved to Eton Manor in the north of
the Olympic Park which will offer multi-purpose sport and leisure
facilities including two hockey competition pitches.

Some of the world’s best hockey teams have been
announced to play in the Visa International Invitational Hockey
Tournament, a test event for London 2012 and part of the London
Prepares series.

The event, which will take place at the Riverbank Arena from
2-6 May 2012 in the Olympic Park, will feature the
men’s Australian and German teams who are currently ranked number
one and two in the world, the current women’s World Champions,
Argentina, as well as both the men’s and women’s British teams as
they prepare for the Games.

The tournament will also feature a men’s team from India,
women’s teams from China and Korea and will give all eight teams
the chance to compete in a tournament for the first time in the
Olympic Park. The Riverbank Arena, a temporary venue, will be fully
completed and will host up to 60,000 spectators over the eight
sessions of the tournament.

The Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament will be
used by London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) to test key
operations ahead of the Games. This will be the first time
spectators have been in the Riverbank Arena, so spectator flows
will form a key part of testing. The field of play and video
referral, timing, scoring and results systems will also be tested
at the event as well as the workforce. Athletes and technical
officials will also be able to familiarise themselves and test
their operations ahead of the Games.

David Luckes, Head of Sport Competition at LOCOG said:

“The Riverbank Arena is one of the most striking venues in the
Olympic Park with its blue and pink pitches and it is vital that we
run an event which will test our field of play, the venue and our
workforce before the Games. We are delighted to have been able to
secure such a strong line-up of team’s for the Visa International
Invitational Hockey Tournament and offer the spectators the chance
to see world class hockey in the Olympic Park just a few months
before the Games.”

Leandro Negre, President of the International Hockey Federation
(FIH) added:

“This is an exciting time for the FIH to see the Riverbank Arena
and the blue pitches in use for the first time in senior
international competition. With just three months to go to the
Olympics, the Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament
will provide a taste of what is to come, with hockey of the highest
quality.”

Tickets will be on sale for the Visa International
Invitational Hockey Tournament in early spring.

The Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament will take
place in the Olympic Park at the same time as six other Olympic
test events. This will form part of LOCOG’s testing of spectator
flows in the Park.

Schedule for Visa International Invitational Hockey
Tournament:

Wednesday 2 May

Session One:

11.00-12.30 Argentina v China – Women’s Preliminaries

13.15-14.45 Great Britain v Korea – Women’s Preliminaries

Session Two:

16.15-17.45 Australia v India – Men’s Preliminaries

18.30-20.00 Great Britain v Germany – Men’s Preliminaries

Thursday 3 May

Session One:

11.00-12.30 Argentina v Korea – Women’s Preliminaries

13.15-14.45 China v Great Britain – Women’s Preliminaries

Session Two:

16.15-17.45 Germany v Australia – Men’s Preliminaries

18.30-20.00 Great Britain v India – Men’s Preliminaries

Friday 4 May

Team Training

Saturday 5 May

Session One:

09.30-11.00 China v Korea – Women’s Preliminaries

11.45-13.15 Great Britain v Argentina – Women’s
Preliminaries

Session Two:

14.45-16.15 Germany v India – Men’s Preliminaries

17.00-18.30 Australia v Great Britain – Men’s Preliminaries

Sunday 6 May

Session One:

09.30-11.00 3rd v 4th  – Women’s 3 v 4 Match

12.15-14.15 1st v 2nd  – Women’s Final Match

Session Two:

15.45-17.45 3rd v 4th  – Men’s 3 v 4 Match

18.30-20.30 1st v 2nd  – Men’s Final Match

About Riverbank Arena:

The Riverbank Arena is a temporary stadium based at the northern
end of the Olympic Park.  The centre will be the only fully
outdoor venue with seating for 16,000 spectators who will enjoy
stunning views south across the Olympic Park.

The complex includes two pitches, one for competition and one
for warm up. The main pitch will stage all of the 76 Olympic hockey
matches which will be spread over 14 days of competition from 29
July to 11 August. There will be over 380 competitors from 24 teams
competing in the men’s and women’s competitions.

The Riverbank Arena will also be used to host both the 5 and
7-a-side Paralympic Football Competitions. The warm up pitch at the
Riverbank Arena will host the 5-a-side competition. The main pitch
will host the 7-a-side competition. Competition runs from 31 August
– 9 September 2012.

After the Games, the temporary arena will be dismantled and
elements will be moved to Eton Manor in the north of the Olympic
Park which will offer multi-purpose sport and leisure facilities
including two hockey competition pitches.

 

 

Recent posts:

Back to all news
Back to top