Field hockey at the 2016 Summer Olympics in

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took place from 6 to 19 August at the

Olympic Hockey Centre Olympic Hockey Centre may refer to: *Olympic Hockey Centre (Athens), used for the 2004 Summer Olympics *Riverbank Arena, formerly known as the Olympic Hockey Centre, which was used for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London *Olympic Hockey Centre (Rio ...

in Deodoro. The competition had instituted several changes in the format and structure from the

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. Twenty-four teams (twelve each for men and women) competed in the tournament.

Competition schedule

The match schedule of the men's tournament was unveiled on 27 April 2016.

Format changes

On 20 March 2014, the

International Hockey Federation The Fédération Internationale de Hockey (English: International Hockey Federation), commonly known by the acronym FIH, is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. ...

(FIH) instituted the changes to the match format, reducing from two 35-minute halves to four 15-minute quarters, with 2 minutes' rest after each period, and 15 at halftime. The purpose of the changes aims to improve the flow and intensity of the competition, and reinforce fan experience and opportunity for game presentation and analysis. Other changes include the implementation of 40-second time outs following both penalty corner awards and the scoring of a goal. Both interruptions and time outs must assure that the 60-minute game time is escalated for actual tournament and not depleted with a penalty corner set up, especially when the ball is not in play. Games ending in ties in knockout rounds are decided by penalty shootouts, as overtime was abolished in 2013. According to Leandro Negre, president of FIH, “The decision today demonstrates our commitment to fan engagement. With the additional breaks, fans will have the opportunity to enjoy more replays and be more engaged with the event, whether in the stadium or watching from afar, while hockey commentators will be allowed more time to provide sport analysis between plays. In addition, coaches and players will see improvement in their performance with the additional opportunities to re-hydrate and re-strategize.”

Qualification

Men's qualification

Each of the Continental Champions from five confederations received an automatic berth. Brazil, as the host nation, qualified automatically but with a rider: due to the relatively low standard of field hockey in Brazil, the

(FIH) and the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

(IOC) required

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to place higher than thirtieth in the

FIH World Rankings The FIH Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in field hockey. The teams of the member nations of International Hockey Federation (FIH), field hockey's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results. The ra ...

by the end of 2014 or finish no worse than sixth at the

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in order to qualify as host nation. They achieved this by beating the

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on a

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in their quarterfinal, thus ensuring a top four finish. In addition, the six highest placed teams at the

Semifinals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final mat ...

of the 2014–15 FIH Hockey World League not already qualified received the remaining berths in this tournament.

Women's qualification

Each of the continental champions from five confederations received an automatic berth. The host nation did not qualify as they failed to place higher than fortieth in the

by the end of 2014 nor finished or seventh at the

, failing to even qualify for that tournament: this restriction was decided between the

(FIH) and the

(IOC) due to the relatively low standard of field hockey in Brazil. In addition, the seven highest placed teams at the

of the 2014–15 FIH Hockey World League not already qualified received the remaining berths in this tournament.

Men's competition

The competition consisted of two stages; a group stage followed by a knockout stage.

Group stage

Teams were divided into two groups of six nations, playing every team in their group once. Three points were awarded for a victory, one for a draw. The top four teams per group qualified for the quarter-finals.

Group A

Group B

Knockout stage

Women's competition

The competition consisted of two stages; a group stage followed by a knockout stage.

Group stage

Group A

Group B

Knockout stage

Medal summary

Medal table

Medalists

References

External links

* * *
Results Book – Hockey
{{Field hockey at the Summer Olympics Field hockey at the Summer Olympics 2016 Summer Olympics events

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...