London 2012

LONDON, 23 July - Facts and figures for hockey at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Jason LeeGB men's hockey coach Jason Lee says his side can beat any of the teams in in the London 2012 Olympic Games hockey tournament. 

"If I was a neutral trying to make the odds, Australia have won everything and have barely lost a game in the last two years, so it makes them strong favourites. But, they have lost some games, they lost to us (as England) in the first game at the world cup, and we think there's not a single team here we can't beat."

Lee said that tactically, the Olympics was about being robust and trying to impose your game on other sides rather than adapting to various opponents. 

USA coach Lee Bodimeade says having seven Beijing Olympians in his hockey squad will stand them in good stead in an Olympic campaign where only a medal will be regarded as any kind of 'success'.

The hockey silver medallist for Australia in 1992 said the profile of hockey in the States had been given a major boost by Olympic qualification gained through winning the Pan American title for the first time. 

"It's had a tremendous effect, the profile of getting to Beijing reignited the interest in the sport at the international level, and the success at the Pan Ams (2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico). I've seen a notable shift of the acceptance of the national programme and the willingness of the college programmes and the athletes to be involved. We're now looking at capitalising on that.

We live by the river:: Members of the GB hockey squad photographed by Anderson and Low at Bisham Abbey, Marlow. The photograph is part of an exhibition now running at the National Portrait Gallery © Anderson & Low - National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 projectGB women's hockey squad are featured in a new exhibition of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery.

Drag flick: Crista Cullen (right) practises 200 drag flicks a week, her performance on penalty corners will be crucial to GB's medal chances in London - Image Andy SmithLONDON, 22 July - On their way to winning gold at Beijing 2008, Netherlands' women's team, and captain Maartje Paumen in particular, proved just how essential penalty-corner drag-flick specialists are in hockey.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) the exclusive broadcast rights in the United Kingdom for the XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014) in Sochi, Russia; the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (2016) in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; and the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (2018) in PyeongChang; as well as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in 2020 – due to be decided in September 2013.

Kookaburras defender Kiel Brown and goalkeeper Andrew Charter have been named as the 17th and 18th player that will travel to London, as reserves for the Olympic hockey tournament.

Brown is younger brother of already-selected Hockeyroo Hope Munro.

Belgium have announced their men's and women's selections for the hockey tournaments at the London Olympic Games.