Senior team will be selected from the Women's Hockey National Championship: The tournament will be held from March 13, the team could not qualify for the Paris Olympics.

The Indian team could not achieve the quota for the Paris Olympics in the FIH Olympic Qualifiers held in Ranchi in January 2024.

Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said on Wednesday that the Women's National Championship to be held in Pune from March 13 will be held as a selection trial for the national team. From this, new players will be selected for the national team.

The national tournament will be held from 13 to 23 March. The National Women's Hockey has faced poor performances and disappointments in the last few months. Even in the Olympic qualifiers held in Ranchi this year, the team could not get a ticket to Paris.

28 states and union territories will participate
In a Hockey India press release, Tirkey said, the tournament will see participation from 28 states and union territories, with members of the Indian team representing their respective states. The selectors of Hockey India will keep a close eye on the performance of all the players, based on their recommendation we will select the new core group.

Madhya Pradesh team won the National Championship in the year 2023.

Focus on World Cup 2026 and 2028 Olympics
Tirkey said, everyone will have to give their best to make space. We now need to focus on securing qualification for the FIH Women's World Cup in 2026 as well as moving towards the Olympics in LA.

There is a lot of talent in India, the National Championship is an important platform to identify new talent and we need to further strengthen the domestic infrastructure to bring them to the main stage.

Former Indian team player Dilip Tirkey became the President of Hockey India in 2022.

Will bring league format to increase women's hockey
Hockey India General Secretary Bhola Nath Singh said that work is also going on on a domestic league for women's hockey players.

He said, we are considering starting some new tournaments in the domestic calendar, especially for the development of women's hockey, this league can give an opportunity to the players to showcase their talent and make a place in the national event. Now is the time to re-team and focus on investing in the future.

Team coach Janek Schopman recently resigned
Indian women's hockey team coach Janek Schopman had recently resigned from her post. She was facing criticism after the Indian team could not qualify for the Paris Olympics.

The Indian team could not achieve the quota for the Paris Olympics in the FIH Olympic Qualifiers held in Ranchi in January 2024. In such a situation, the head coach was being criticized. His contract was going to expire in June-July, but he resigned before time.