Tupper, Pearson add Olympic experience to Canadian men’s field hockey team

VANCOUVER — Team captain Scott Tupper will lead Canada’s men’s field hockey squad at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Tupper was one of 16 athletes named to the field hockey team on Thursday.

Tupper and teammate Mark Pearson will be appearing at their second Olympics. They represented Canada at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The remaining fourteen athletes are first-time Olympians.

“It’s an honour to be selected,” Tupper said in a release. “The Olympics are the pinnacle of our sport and to be recognized in the sixteen is one of, if not the highlight in everyone’s athletic career and life in general.

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“I think we have a good mix of players, with guys bringing different skills sets to the table. I think that is going to serve us well is Rio. We’re in a good position to perform well and hopefully we can get some results in our games and play in the knock-out round.”

Canadian qualified for the Rio Games with a fourth place finish at the International Hockey Federation’s World League semifinal in Argentina last June. Canada defeated higher-ranked New Zealand in a quarter-final shootout to secure the top-four finish and a spot in the Olympic Games.

Fourteen of the sixteen athletes named Thursday competed in that Olympic qualifier and also won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

Canada roster:

Brenden Bissett, New Westminister, B.C., Midfielder; David Carter, Vancouver, Goalkeeper; Taylor Curran, North Vancouver, B.C., Midfielder; Adam Froese, Abbotsford, B.C.. Defender; Jagdish Gill, Toronto, Defender; Matthew Guest, Vancouver, Forward; Gabriel Ho-Garcia, Burnaby, B.C., Midfielder; Gordon Johnston, Vancouver, Defender; Benjamin Martin, Vancouver, Defender; Devohn Noronha Teixeira Mississauga, Ont., Forward; Sukhpal Panesar, Surrey, B.C., Midfielder; Mark Pearson, Tsawwasssen, B.C., Midfielder; Keegan Pereira, Toronto, Forward; Matthew Sarmento, Vancouver, Forward; Iain Smythe, Burnaby, B.C., Forward; Scott Tupper (capt.), Vancouver, Defender.

The Canadian Press