Canadian field hockey teams prepare for last-chance qualifiers for Paris Olympics

With the Paris 2024 Olympics less than seven months away, Canadian athletes and teams are preparing for last-chance qualification events, looking to book their ticket to the biggest sporting spectacle on the planet.

Both the men's and women's Canadian field hockey teams find themselves in that exact spot and must finish in the top three of eight teams at their upcoming qualifying tournaments to earn a berth to Paris. 

It's a nerve-wracking and stress-inducing assignment that has even the most veteran players on the squads trying to remind themselves to stay calm and play with as much controlled emotion as humanly possible with the stakes as high as they are. 

The men's national team begins its quest to qualify in Muscat, Oman early next week, with their opening game set for Monday against Germany. Canada, ranked 17th, is in a pool with the aforementioned Germans (ranked 5th in the world), Chile (22nd) and New Zealand (11th).

To advance to the semifinals, Canada has to win two of its three matches. Should they do that, the team can clinch a spot in Paris by then either winning a semifinal or the bronze-medal match. 

"I love those moments where everything is on the line and the task in front of you is really simple. You just have to do the things that you're used to doing and doing well," longtime national team member Gordon Johnston told CBC Sports from Muscat. "If you can keep calm, find that quiet confidence, the ability to battle in every moment, ready to take any challenge, we'll be in a good spot."

Great Britain, Pakistan, Malaysia and China are in the other pool. Johnston, who is preparing for his 199th cap for Canada, knows this is going to be a tough test and is still leaning on what unfolded four years ago to