Hockey will be the next sport to begin qualification for Rio 2016, with 18 Asian teams set to compete for two places at the first Olympic Games in South America. The battle ground will be the hockey tournament of the 17th Asian Games, in Incheon, Republic of Korea. After Friday’s (September 19) opening ceremony, the hockey competition will start on Saturday, with 10 men’s teams and eight women’s sides in action. The champions of each gender, who will be known by 2 October, will guarantee their places in Rio.

One of the favourites in the men’s tournament are India, who have won 11 Olympic medals, including eight golds (although their last medal was gold in 1980). Their veteran captain Sardar Singh was brimming with confidence ahead of the tournament.

“We are aiming for a clean sweep and with the confidence in the camp I feel that we will be able to achieve this goal,” said the man chosen to carry India’s flag at the opening ceremony. “Our first match against Sri Lanka is crucial as starting a tournament on a winning note will boost the morale of the team and help continue the winning dominance.”

One of India’s biggest rivals is likely to be Pakistan, the three-time Olympic champions, who have also won three silver Olympic medals and two bronzes. “Being the defending [Asian Games] champions, we are one of the favourites,” said Pakistan captain Muhammad Imran. “Our training has been very good and I am confident that we will achieve our target. The confidence level of the players is high and we are aware of the Games’ importance because only a gold can take us to the Olympics.”

The other teams in the men's tournament are: Bangladesh, China, Japan, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Sri Lanka.

The Indian women's team have been practising together for one month before the Asian Games (Photo: Getty Images/Feng Li)

In the women’s competition, India captain Ritu Rani believes that her team’s preparations and confidence can lead them to a good result in Incheon. “We have worked hard on our shortcomings during a one month camp with [chief coach] Neil Hawgood and [high performance director] Roelant Oltmans. In a few areas, especially penalty corners, we have focused our efforts and made improvements and are very confident. We can reach the final and are confident that the gold medal is within our reach.”

The other teams in the women's tournament are: China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Japan, Malaysia, South Korean and Thailand.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games men’s and women’s hockey tournaments will each feature 12 teams. Five berths in each gender will be obtained through continental tournaments, such as the Asian Games, while six will be won through the 2014/2015 Hockey World League. The 12th spots are reserved for Brazil if the host nation’s teams achieve performance criteria set by the International Hockey Federation.