Hockey: Olympic format upsets Borren

AMSTERDAM - Having come last of the six nations in the elite Champions' Trophy field, New Zealand coach Jan Borren slammed the way the women's Olympic tournament in Sydney will be run.

Organisers have decided to do away with the traditional competition where the top two teams in each section qualify for the semifinals. This time, the top three will reach the medal round, taking with them their points from the earlier matches.

Borren believes that system favours top nations such as Australia and Holland, while making it hard for the likes of New Zealand to get into medal contention.

"It means you have to get points against the top teams and it means that we could play well, enjoy a surprise result and not be rewarded."

"Coaches will have to decide whether to play their best players in the toughest games in order to get points for the medal round and rest them against weaker teams and risk losing everything. Also, playing eight games in 13 days is crazy. It will not be a question of which team is best, but which team can last.

"The traditional route means you could target particular teams and then maybe anything can happen in a one-off semifinal.

"Holland and Australia do not like that - so the new system suits them fine."

He expects to name the rest of his Olympic squad by the end of next week - 13 of the 16 have already been picked.

Borren said he was not too despondent after the 0-2 defeat by South Africa in Amsterdam yesterday that placed New Zealand sixth and last.

"You have to put these results in perspective. We are peaking for Sydney, not the Champions' Trophy," he said.

New Zealand were sunk by a killer goal from Pietie Coetzee just one second before the halftime whistle. The South African striker unleashed a superb reverse-stick shot that whistled past Anne-Marie Irving in the Kiwi goal.

The second was a solo from Karen Symons after 49 minutes, and after that only some smart reaction saves from substitute goalie Helen Clarke kept New Zealand in the game.

In the final, a twice-taken penalty 87 seconds before fulltime gave hosts the Netherlands a 3-2 win over Germany.

Ageeth Boomgaardt converted the penalty after her first attempt was saved by German goalkeeper Julia Zwehl, who was then penalised for standing in front of the goal-line.

Holders Australia, who had won the trophy the last five times, finished out of the top two for the first time. They beat Argentina 1-0 in the bronze medal match with a late corner goal from Jenny Morris.

-NZPA