By Admin 
Switzerland’s field hockey is not as competitive or famous as its ice hockey teams or its tennis players.
Slowly and steadily, the national body for field hockey is making quiet efforts to ensure the junior and senior teams perform well in International competitions.
The result is showing. The junior men’s team qualified for the FIH World Cup in Chennai and Madurai, after winning the Euro u-21hockey II-B in Lausanne, by remaining unbeaten.
In Group-B with Oman, Chile and two-time champion India, Switzerland oozes confidence going inito the prestigious competition.
Speaking on the sidelines of the function hosted by Swiss India Chamber of Commerce (SICC) for the players here, the team’s head coach Jair Levie said, “We think we can win the first two matches against Oman and Chile. India is a top team. And then let’s see what the other results in other groups are, because we depend of course on the results of the other group. But we definitely have the confidence that we can win the first two matches.”
Levie said the practice matches in Chennai gave the team an idea of its strengths and weaknesses.
“We drew with South Korea 1-1 and lost to Bangladesh 2-5. The defeat actually gave us a lot of new insights. We trust each other now and we know where our strengths are,” said the coach.
Jens Flueck, the captain of the team, too, appeared confident. He is of the view that as much as penalty corner conversion is important, PC defence will play a big role. “Not conceding a goal from penalty corners can send a big signal to the whole group. And I think that’s the most important thing. It shifts momentum in the whole game. We have a lot of good ideas for our penalty corners. We have good drag flickers. And I think they’re going to be dangerous,” said Flueck.
According to coach Lavie, qualifying for the World Cup was huge and being a Dutch himself, field hockey is not popular in Switzerland but added it will be a huge challenge to promote field hockey.
“And now I moved with my family to Switzerland. It’s really nice to work for such a small hockey family in Switzerland. There’s not many hockey players as it’s more about ice hockey. It’s a huge challenge to improve field hockey in Switzerland. But I really like that. And qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in July last year was historic. We have been promoted to the A Division. We are now among the eight strongest countries in Europe. This generation gives the entire Swiss hockey family a lot of new confidence for the future,” he said.
Swiss hockey president Rob Mudde wished the team the best and asked the boys to enjoy themselves on the field. “It’s really amazing what you have achieved already, simply by being here. And I really do hope that you as a team, together with your great staff, and the coach who is leading the staff here, will get the best what’s possible for you. And the most important thing, just enjoy being here,” he said.
Satish Rao, president of SICC, spoke about the historic ties between Swiss and India while wishing the visiting team. “The ties between India and Switzerland are way too deep, way too old, way too historic. These two countries have been genuine friends for many years. For me, it’s not just a sports event, it is about people to people ties, about friendship, about how business can be collaborated between the two countries, about culture,” he said.
With such a strong bonding and love between the two countries, the Swiss team will have many Indian fans cheering for it when it takes on Oman at the SDAT-Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium.