The Indian men’s hockey camp in preparation for the Olympic qualifiers picked up momentum with most of the players turning up for the session on Tuesday morning at the Sports Authority of India’s Southern Centre here.

“This is a crucial camp. It is the only period in which the top players will be together. The players can be scrutinised because later there will not be much time and only the core group will remain due to tournaments and camps,” said chief coach Joaquim Carvalho.

Intensive camp

“This will be an intensive camp and there are several development team players here. They will be the backup and will push the senior players.

“Some of the juniors could figure in the Junior World Cup if they do well.It will be a big thing for them if they make it to the senior team.

“We are not only thinking about the Olympic qualifiers but also six months ahead. However, the highest priority will be for the qualifiers in Chile next year.”

After the month-long camp, the players will disperse with many of them likely to play in the Premier Hockey League.

After the PHL, the campers will reassemble at the PHL venue for a short camp.

Practice matches

The Olympic qualifiers will be held at Santiago, which is a high altitude location. A camp at a high-altitude location is also being looked at. The hockey team is also looking at playing some practice matches.

“We may host Belgium for some practice games. Playing Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or South Korea are also possibilities,” Carvalho said.

Thirty-two players were present for the session in the morning. Indian Airlines players including Dilip Tirkey, skipper Prabodh Tirkey, Bimal Lakra, VS Vinaya, goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza and Birendra Lakra were initially not given premission by their employers as they were asked to play in upcoming domestic tournaments.

However, after the intervention of the Indian Hockey Federation President KPS Gill, the matter has been sorted out. The players are likely to join the camp in a day. The total number of campers will be about 40 then.

“Innocent Kullu will not be making it since he is down with typhoid, while Jaswinder Singh has not reported yet,” said Carvalho.

Regarding Australian Ric Charlesworth’s role, Carvalho said: “We have played against each other. The experience Ric has in whatever capacity, we will use for the good of the team.”