TT get tough Pan Am hockey draw

TRINIDAD and Tobago, who won both men’s and women’s hockey gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games last year, will face tough opposition when they appear at the 2003 Pan American Games this summer. Their opponents in the men’s draw include defending champions Canada and Cuba, while world number one Argentina and the improving Chile are among their rivals in the women’s draw for the August 2-13 hockey tournament at this year’s Pan Am Games in the Dominican Republic. In men’s play, while Argentina, Chile, the United States and hosts Dominican Republic are in Pool “A”, TT will tackle Canada, Cuba, and Barbados in Pool “B”.

Barbados were runners-up to TT at last November’s CAC Games, which had its hockey competition in Puerto Rico. “It’s a tough pool for us, we have the 1999 first place finishers (Canada), and Cuba, who are very strong,” Trinidad and Tobago’s Hockey Board president Maureen Craig-Rousseau told CMC Sport yesterday. Mexico and Peru have been named as reserve teams for the men’s championship. Trinidad and Tobago’s women challenge powerhouse Argentina, Chile, and the Dominican Republic in Pool “A”. “Argentina are the best in the world right now, they are so many steps ahead of, not only us in the Caribbean, but everyone else,” Rousseau said.  “The Chileans have improved quite a bit, with coaching assistance from Argentina, and we will have to work hard to come through this group,” she added. The women’s Pool “B” has Canada, Uruguay, USA, and CAC runners-up Jamaica. Cuba and Barbados are the reserve teams named for the women’s competition.