Craig Fulton has already started planning for LA Olympic 2028, with the India hockey coach set to assess young talent and build a fresh squad after the Hockey India League.
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Head coach Craig Fulton revealed India’s LA Olympic 2028 hockey plan(Photo: IANS)
India men’s hockey team made history at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by defending its gold medal for the first timeThe Harmanpreet Singh-led side defeated Malaysia 5-1 in the final to win its fifth Asian Games hockey gold and also secured a direct ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
However, head coach Craig Fulton is already looking beyond the celebrationsWith LA 2028 less than two years away, the South African coach wants to use the Hockey India League (HIL) as an important window to assess the next generation of players.
Fulton wants to build a fresh squad
Speaking to SAI Media, Fulton said India will have to start preparing for the next Olympic cycle soonHe also pointed towards the strong talent pool in the India A and Under-21 teams.
“LA 2028 is within two yearsIt seems a long way off, but it obviously comes around pretty quickI think at the moment we’re just trying to get the right schedule, the right planning in place, the big blocks of what is the preparation like, two years out, one year out, six months out, and plan accordingly to thatYeah, I think every team has its phases at and flows with experience and youthWe have a good group of experienced players with us now,” Craig Fulton told SAI Media.
“We have some youth, but we have a lot of youth in the Indian A team and a strong Under-21 team as well, which is greatSo in the next two-three months, I think just post the Hockey India League, we’ll have a look at all the talent that we have, choose new squad, and start afresh from there,” the 51-year-old added.
Back-to-back gold a special achievement
India’s latest triumph came after previous Asian Games gold medals in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2022Fulton, who played for South Africa at the 1996 and 2004 Olympics, said successfully defending the title made the latest achievement even more special.
“Personally, this Asian Games was very uniqueIt was very different to the last Asian Games as we were isolated out here in a sense of away from the other events and athletesThere was no so-called Games VillageBut at the same time, we had our own routineWe went to the field, we played, we came back, and everything is the sameBut Hangzhou, being the first gold medal, was very specialBut to come back and defend it back-to-back golds is always special,” he said.
Fulton reflects on thrilling Pakistan win
India also survived a major scare against Pakistan in the semi-finalAfter taking a 3-0 lead, India conceded three goals before Abhishek scored in the final minute to seal a 4-3 win.
“Everything did go according to planWe had a really good first half, and then the third quarter was difficultPakistan is that team that if you give them any free opportunities, they take them and they are a great team, and they showed thatThey came back nicely and put us under a lot of pressure from 3-0 to 3-allWe still had some good chances in that period, but we couldn’t finish, we couldn’t scoreAnd found a way in the last minute to do so and to get the fourth goal, which helped us make the final,” Fulton said.
SAI support to help India aim higher
India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams also made history by winning gold at the same Asian Games for the first timeThe achievement came with strong backing from the Sports Authority of India, which provided ₹77.8 crore towards the two teams, including camps, international exposure, coaching support and equipment.
“I think the government is our biggest supporter in terms of the resources and the funds that they put forward to helping the grassroots programs all the way through to the 18s, 21s, seniorsWithout them, obviously, I don’t know what would happen if they didn’t put as much support and resources aroundBut at the same time, by doing that the girls stand on the podium winning gold for the first time in 44 yearsAnd we’re fortunate enough to go back to backYes, that’s domination in Asia.
“We obviously want to do that on the world stageAnd the women had a fantastic World Cup, and the men obviously had a fantastic ParisSo the balance is thereThe resources are thereBut the main thing is we just got to keep pushing forward to find the talent and expose it on the international platform,” he signed off.
