Home advantage gives women Olympic boost

Ireland’s women will be spared a €65,000 trip to Uruguay after they were yesterday awarded the hosting of World League 2 — the penultimate tournament on their Olympic qualification journey.

The Irish Hockey Association (IHA) confirmed yesterday the competition will take place from March 14-22 in Dublin next year, the timing reprising the men’s doomed Olympic qualification bid in the capital during the 2012 St Patrick’s weekend.

With another step, WL3, to come for the Irish girls should they finish high enough in the eight-team competition, this won’t carry quite the same gravitas.