Veteran shooters Rob Short and Ken Pereira lead a men's team of 16 players nominated by Field Hockey Canada to chase an Olympic berth at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Canadian Olympic Committee will confirm the team members by the end of the month.
Canada's men are defending champions of the Oct. 14-30 Pan Am Games tournament, the top-ranked Pan American team after its first-place finish at the 2007 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Canada is ranked 10th among men's teams in the world.
More valuable than the gold medal is a place in the 12-team men's field in London. It will be the fifth Pan Am Games for both Short and team captain Pereira, who was Canada's flag bearer at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last fall.
"The team is looking forward to it, especially since this will be our first opportunity to qualify for London 2012," Pereira said. "Those of us who have been to the Olympics want to go back – and we are excited for the new guys to experience what it's like to compete in an Olympic qualifier. The summer has been great preparation... There is a good mix of young players and veterans."
Pereira has won two gold medals and one silver in the Pan Am Games, the golds coming in 1999 at Winnipeg and 2007 at Rio de Janeiro. In the 1999 Pan American Games gold-medal match against Argentina, the only goal in Canada's win was posted by Pereira. Short, who also had been on the two gold-medal sides, has played as a field hockey pro in the Netherlands since 1997.
"Over the course of the last eight months we have been exposed to both Pan American and European-based competition that I feel have prepared us well for the challenge ahead," said head coach Robin D'Abreo.
Players and substitutes named to the team are: David Carter of Vancouver; Adam Froese of Abbotsford, B.C.; Jagdish Gill of Toronto; Matthew Guest of Vancouver; Richard Hildreth of Vancouver; David Jameson of Vancouver; Antoni Kindler of Vancouver; Mark Pearson of Tsawwassen, B.C.; Ken Pereira of Unionville, Ont.; Keegan Pereira of Ajax, Ont.; Rob Short of Tsawwassen; Sukhwinder Singh of Mississauga, Ont.; Iain Smythe of Vancouver; Scott Tupper of Vancouver; Jesse Watson of North Vancouver; Philip Wright of Vancouver.
Approximately 15,000 Canadians participate in field hockey, FHC said in nominating the men's side. The game is played in more than 600 schools and 400 clubs across the country.