Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- These days, qualifying competitions in field hockey for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games are being held in Thailand. It is gratifying to note that the men’s team of Uzbekistan for the first time was awarded the right to participate in the main continental starts of the four-year period. 

The domestic team participated in a subgroup with representatives from Oman, Thailand, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan. Clinching 1 win, 2 draws and 1 defeat, our athletes continued to fight for a ticket to the Asian Games. At this stage, hockey players from Singapore became rivals of the squad of Uzbekistan. In the match, in which the winners were determined by a penalty shoot-out, luck was on the side of our compatriots. And it was a historical result of the hockey players of Uzbekistan. 

This success has been recognized by a number of experts. In particular, the Executive Director of the Asian Field Hockey Federation, Ikram Tayyab, congratulated the Uzbekistan Field Hockey Federation on the victory and sent an official letter.

According to the regulations, 12 strongest teams of the continent will be able to take part in the Asian Games. Recall that the teams that entered the top five at the previous Asian Games (India, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea), as well as the Chinese team, received a direct ticket. Now six more teams have joined them.

Uzbekistan national team results:

Group stage:

Round 1: Uzbekistan-Hong Kong 4:2

Round 2: Uzbekistan-Thailand 1:1

Round 3: Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan 3:3

Round 4: Uzbekistan-Oman 3:6

Playoffs for a ticket to the Asian Games:

Uzbekistan-Singapore 2:2 (pen. (4:2)

The teams that made it to the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games through the tournament in Thailand are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan.