By Alex Osei-Boateng
ACCRA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- After clinching the Round One of the hockey world league series and qualifying for the second round, Ghana is eying to book a ticket for the hockey world league finals in 2017.
Both male and female Ghana national teams, nicknamed the Black Sticks, qualified to the second round of the International Hockey Federation (IFH) world league series after hosting a four-nation competition in Accra over the weekend.
Kenya and Nigeria finished second and third in both events, while Namibia's men team placed fourth.
Ghana's men team will travel to Bangladesh for the Round Two of the league series while the female side will be in Spain also for the second round, both in February, next year.
"We are so proud of our men and women and wish them the best in their preparations towards the 2nd round of the competition," said Daniel Kenaz Mensah, Secretary General of the Ghana Hockey Association (GHA), in a statement.
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has urged the hockey association to begin early preparations for the next round of the competition.
The national teams are expected to break camp for a few days and resume preparations for the upcoming competitions, said Richard Akpokavie, President of the GHA.
The world hockey league series is a tournament that gives hockey fans the chance to see their teams go all the way to the World Cup and Olympics.
Composed of four rounds and played over two years, the Hockey World League shines a spotlight on the sport around the world.
