Hockey Olympic sports London 2012

Hockey is played on a 100 x 60 yard outdoor pitch by two teams of 11 players.
Each nation can bring a squad of 18 to the Olympics and on match-days name a 16-man team. The five substitutes can be rolled-on-and-off at anytime.
Players must use the flat, front side of their stick to hit or control the ball. Goals can only be scored by a member of the attacking team from inside the D – a semi-circular area in front of their goal.
Matches last 70 minutes, with two halves of 35 minutes, on water-based synthetic-turf pitches, which allow the ball to roll more smoothly and quickly.
In both the men and women’s competition 12 teams will be divided into two pools of six, with each team playing every other team in their pool.
The top two teams from the groups will qualify for the semi-finals, with the winners going head-to-head for the gold, and the losers the bronze.
Events / disciplines
Men's and women's tournaments

The first match at the Riverbank Arena will see Australia’s women take on New Zealand on 29 July, while Great Britain's women’s first match will be against Japan.In the men’s competition, the current Olympic champions Germany start their tournament against Belgium, while Great Britain’s first match will be against Argentina.Debbie Jevans, Director of Sport at the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'The Riverbank Arena is set to stage exciting world-class sport during the Olympic Games. The Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament helped us test the venue and we will continue to work with the International Hockey Federation to fine-tune our plans before the first Olympic match takes place on the distinctive blue and pink pitches.'Competition formatThe 12 teams in each tournament have been divided into two pools of six based on world rankings, and each team will play every other team in their pool. The top two teams in each pool will qualify for the semi-finals, with the winners of those matches going head-to-head for the gold medal. The other teams in the two groups play each other to determine final placings.


Women: Pool A

Netherlands
Great Britain
China
Korea
Japan
Belgium

Women: Pool B

Argentina
Germany
New Zealand
Australia
United States of America
South Africa

Men: Pool A

Australia
Great Britain
Spain
Pakistan
Argentina
South Africa

Men: Pool B

Germany
Netherlands
South Korea
New Zealand
India
Belgium