Current World Ranking # 9 (1292 points)

Clubbed with Great Britain, Pakistan, Australia, Spain and South Africa in Pool A at the London Games.
medal at the London Olympics track and field events.

London Olympics Special

Olympics photo gallery

See Points Tables: Men's, Women's

Best result: Finished eighth in the 1988 Seoul and 2000 Sydney Games.

Last Olympics: Failed to qualify.

Argentina qualified for the London Games as the continental champions after missing out on the Beijing Games after five straight appearances. A regular World Cup side, Argentina finished seventh at the 2010 edition. In Dec last year, the side ended up fourth in the Champions Challenge-1.

The Road to London:
Argentina qualified for the London Olympics in Oct last year after winning the Pan American Games title in Guadalajara. They have been training extensively for the Games since then, an advantage that not many side had. They went to Australia, Belgium and South Africa besides finishing second in the recent Azlan Shah Cup.

Players to watch out for:
Seasoned defender Pedro Ibarra is a superb penalty-corner specialist. Ibarra, a member of the Argentine side that had won the Junior WC in 2005, has been a regular in the senior side and has played for the Dutch and Belgian clubs. There are also the three Vila brothers, including skipper Matias, who is the eldest. He, along with Rodrigo, the middle brother, was part of the side that competed in the 2000 and 2004 Games. The youngest, Lucas, a speedy forward, is set to make his Olympic debut this year. Lucas was also in the 2005 WC-winning side. Gonzalo Peillat is another good talent in the side.

Plus:
1. Plays as a strong unit.
2. Displays raw energy more than calculated strategy.
3. Good penalty-corner conversion capability.
4. Strong forward.

Minus:
1. Over-passionate approach sometimes leads to the side's downfall.
2. Inconsistent at times.

Chances of progress at the London Games: 4/10
The Argentine men's hockey side will be highly-charged this time, particularly after missing out at Beijing, but is unlikely to finish among the top four. Their clashes with big teams, will nevertheless, be key ones in determining the semi-finalists. Argentina will play their first match against hosts Great Britain on Jul 30.

Squad: Juan Manuel Vivaldi, Pedro Ibarra, Ignacio Bergner, Manuel Brunet, Juan Martin Lopez, Gonzalo Peillat, Lucas Ray, Matias Vila, Lucas Rossi, Agustin Mazzilli, Lucas Vila, Rodrigo Vila, Matias Paredes, Lucas Cammareri, Facundo Callioni, Santiago Montelli, Juan Tomas Espinosa and Matias Gonzales.

Coach: Pablo Lombi, 42, an Argentine national, has been coaching the side since 2009, after Carlos Retegui took over the responsibility of the women's team. He was also the coach of the 2005 WC-winning team and hence has a good understanding of some of the current players. Having played in two Olympics, Lombi will debut as a coach in the Olympics this time.

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