David Hart has been named in the 18-man Irish men’s hockey squad for the Olympic qualifying tournament which begins this week.
The Ballinspittle man is a legend in Irish hockey, having played more than 230 games for Ireland and twice being named World Goalkeeper of the Year.
Harte, 35, captained the Green Machine during its 2016 Olympic appearance in Rio, and his goal is to become a two-time Olympian at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
He successfully rejoined the Irish team last summer for the first time in almost four years.
The qualifying tournament in Valencia begins this Friday, January 13th, and will be the last chance for countries to qualify for the Summer Olympic Hockey Tournament in Paris. Eight countries from around the world will advance to this qualifying tournament, where his three spots to the Olympics will be in contention.
Ireland (world No. 13) is in Pool A with Sunday’s first opponent, Ukraine (No. 29). Ireland will next face Belgium (2nd place) on Monday, before completing the Pool A phase against Japan (15th place) on Wednesday the 17th.
Given there are only three spots available for this tournament, it is essential that Ireland at least finish second in their pool and preferably win the semi-finals to secure a spot in Paris next summer. Even teams that lose in the semi-finals have a chance to secure a spot if they win the third-place match.