Khyber News

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hockey team would play its first match against Spain at the Olympic stadium here on Monday. 

Besides, the hockey team, Khurram Inam would also make his debut at the qualification day of the shooting competition. 

The Pakistan hockey team consisting Sohail Abbas, Shakeel Abbasi, Waseem Ahmad, Fareed Ahmed, Liaqat Ali, Rabia Ashiq and other starlets would fight to bring back glory to Pakistan. 

However, after a poor Azlan Shah Cup, tour of Europe and losing both warm-up matches ahead of the mega event, the team has been touted as no hopers. It will take on Spain today in their tournament opener as 12 countries, divided into two pools, fight for honours with the final taking place on August 11.

Pakistan is placed in Pool A and will meet world champions Australia, Great Britain, Argentina and South Africa after Spain in the round matches. Defending champions Germany, the Netherlands, Korea, New Zealand, India and Belgium are placed in Pool B. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the semi-finals on August 9.

Pakistan, ranked eighth in the world, will, meanwhile, start as underdogs following a series of unimpressive performances since their gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games.

Their lowest ebb this year was the bottom-place finish in the Azlan Shah Cup and the shaky start to the Olympics preparation with back-to-back losses – against Belgium (2-1) and the Netherlands (5-1). While head coach Akhtar Rasool complained of lack of quality in his squad – we miss the likes of Shahbaz and Sardar, he had said – his assistant Khwaja Junaid remained optimistic. 

Olympic Games schedule for Monday (times Pakistan Standard Time) are as follows:

Rowing

(01:30pm) Women's Pair Repechages, Women's Quadruple Sculls Repechages, Men's Eight Repechages, Men's Quadruple Sculls Repechages, Men's Pair Repechages, Women's Double Sculls Heats, Men's Four Heats

Badminton

(12:30pm) Men's Singles Group Play, Women's Singles Group Play, Women's Doubles Group Play, Mixed Doubles Group Play

Women's Basketball

1st rd

(01:00pm) Croatia v China

(03:15pm) Czech Republic v Turkey

(06:30pm) France v Australia

(08:45pm) Russia v Brazil

(12:00am-Tuesday) Great Britain v Canada

(02:15am-Tuesday) Angola v USA

Beach Volleyball

(01:00pm) Men and women qualification

Boxing

(05:30pm) Men's Flyweight (52kg) Round of 32, Men's Light Heavyweight (81kg) Round of 32

(12:30pm) Men's Flyweight (52kg) Round of 32, Men's Light Heavyweight (81kg) Round of 32

Canoe Kayak slalom

(05:30pm) Men C2, Women K1 preliminaries

Equestrian

(04:30pm) Individual Eventing Cross Country; Team Eventing Cross Country

Fencing

(02:30/10:00pm) Women individual epee preliminary rounds and medal

Artistic Gymnastics

(08:30pm) Men's Team Final Medal event

Weightlifting

(02:00/11:00pm) - 62 kg men

(04:30/07:30pm) - 58 kg women

Women's handball

1st rd:

(01:30pm) Angola v Croatia

(03:15pm) South Korea v Denmark

(06:30pm) Great Britain v Russia

(08:15pm) France v Spain

(11:30pm) Brazil v Montenegro

(01:15am-Tuesday) Sweden v Norway

Field Hockey

Men 1st rd:

(12:30pm) South Korea v New Zealand

(02:45pm) Australia v South Africa

(05:45pm) Spain v Pakistan

(08:00pm) Netherlands v India

(11:00pm) Great Britain v Argentina

(01:15am-Tuesday) Germany v Belgium

Judo

(01:30/06:00pm) - 73 kg men, - 57 kg women

Swimming

(02:00pm) Women's 200m Freestyle Heats, Men's 200m Butterfly Heats, Women's 200m Individual Medley Heats

(11:30pm) Women's 200m Freestyle Semi-finals, Men's 200m Freestyle Final, Women's 100m Backstroke Final, Men's 100m Backstroke Final, Women's 100m Breaststroke Final, Men's 200m Butterfly Semi-finals, Women's 200m Individual Medley Semi-finals

Diving

(07:00pm) Men's Synchronised 10m Platform Final

Tennis

(03:30pm) Men, women singles 2nd rd; men, women doubles 2nd rd

Table Tennis

(02:00pm) Men's 3rd rd; women's 4th rd

Shooting

(01:00pm) Men's 10m Air Rifle Qualification, Men's Skeet Qualification, Men's 10m Air Rifle Finals Medal event

Archery

(01:00pm) Men's Individual Round of 64, Women's Individual Round of 64, Men's Individual Round of 32, Women's Individual Round of 32

(07:00pm) Men's Individual Round of 64, Women's Individual Round of 64, Men's Individual Round of 32, Women's Individual Round of 32

Sailing

(04:00pm) Men's Laser Race 1, Men's 49er Race 1, Women's Laser Radial Race 1, Men's 49er Race 2, Men's Laser Race 2, Women's Laser Radial Race 2, Men's Finn Race 3, Women's Elliot 6m Round Robin, Men's Star Race 3, Men's Finn Race 4, Men's Star Race 4

Volleyball

Women

1st rd

(01:30pm) China v Turkey

(03:30pm) Serbia v South Korea

(06:45pm) Dominican Republic v Russia

(08:45pm) USA v Brazil

(12:00am-Tuesday) Italy v Japan

(12:00am-Tuesday) Great Britain v Algeria

Water Polo

Women Preliminary round

(06:10pm) Spain v China

(07:30pm) Italy v Australia

(10:20pm) Great Britain v Russia

(11:40pm) Hungary v USA -- Agencies