While the Singapore National Olympic Committee have yet to confirm the teams that will fly the Republic's flag at November's Asian Games in Guangzhou, both the national men's and women's hockey teams have set their sights on qualifying for the Asiad on merit.
The top six men's and five women's sides in Asia automatically qualify for the Guangzhou Games from Nov 12-27, but the rest hoping to travel to the southern Chinese city will have to play for their places.
The respective coaches of the Singapore teams, Lim Chiow Chuan and Juanma Mas, told MediaCorp yesterday they are confident both teams will earn their Asiad tickets.
The men will make a bid to qualify for the Games in Dhaka from May 7 to 16, along with hosts Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Said Lim: "We are ranked eighth, only behind Bangladesh and should qualify. We've beaten Sri Lanka and Taiwan and drawn with Bangladesh at the AHF Cup in 2008, but that was two years ago and I don't want to read too much into that."
Players' school and work commitments have meant that Lim did not have ideal conditions to prepare, but the team will be boosted by the inclusion of forward Ian Vanderput, a player once hailed as the next big hope for Singapore hockey.
The women's qualifying round will take place in troubled Bangkok from May 21 to 30 and will see Singapore vying with Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan for the five slots available for the Games.
Coach Mas said Kazakhstan could be the only stumbling block.
"They are slightly superior to those who will be playing at the qualifiers, while the rest of the teams travelling to Bangkok are of a similar standard. Although we've had some trouble looking for friendlies to prepare for the qualifiers, we have been in training since January and will have a camp from May 14 to 16," said the Spaniard.
Lim's men depart for Dhaka next Wednesday, while the Singapore women will wait for the all-clear signal from the Thai capital, which has been embroiled in political turmoil.
The top six men's and five women's sides in Asia automatically qualify for the Guangzhou Games from Nov 12-27, but the rest hoping to travel to the southern Chinese city will have to play for their places.
The respective coaches of the Singapore teams, Lim Chiow Chuan and Juanma Mas, told MediaCorp yesterday they are confident both teams will earn their Asiad tickets.
The men will make a bid to qualify for the Games in Dhaka from May 7 to 16, along with hosts Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Said Lim: "We are ranked eighth, only behind Bangladesh and should qualify. We've beaten Sri Lanka and Taiwan and drawn with Bangladesh at the AHF Cup in 2008, but that was two years ago and I don't want to read too much into that."
Players' school and work commitments have meant that Lim did not have ideal conditions to prepare, but the team will be boosted by the inclusion of forward Ian Vanderput, a player once hailed as the next big hope for Singapore hockey.
The women's qualifying round will take place in troubled Bangkok from May 21 to 30 and will see Singapore vying with Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan for the five slots available for the Games.
Coach Mas said Kazakhstan could be the only stumbling block.
"They are slightly superior to those who will be playing at the qualifiers, while the rest of the teams travelling to Bangkok are of a similar standard. Although we've had some trouble looking for friendlies to prepare for the qualifiers, we have been in training since January and will have a camp from May 14 to 16," said the Spaniard.
Lim's men depart for Dhaka next Wednesday, while the Singapore women will wait for the all-clear signal from the Thai capital, which has been embroiled in political turmoil.
