The Fiji men’s and women’s hockey side’s have qualified for the second round of the World League round competition next year.

The Fiji men’s side defeated Papua New Guinea 8-2 at the National Hockey Centre in Suva last night to qualify for the Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Singapore next month.

Captain Hector Smith Junior was proud of the team’s performance but says the team will need to lift its work rate for the second round which will be held on January 17th-24th.

“It’s good; it’s a stepping stone for us because it actually proves that we deserve to be higher in the ranking. The skill level that we have in the team, we are able to match with some big teams like Bangladesh and China. We will only find out if we took up the challenge to play in the World Series.”

The Fiji women’s side also defeated PNG 3-1 to book a spot in the women’s World League which will be held in India in March 7th-15th.

Coach Alison Southey says it was a remarkable achievement with ten newcomers to the national side.

“I’m really proud of the girls and their efforts. They’ve trained really hard in the build-up to the competition. The 18 players that were in the team deserved the spot they were given and representing their country has been something that every individual that tries out at a sport aims to be able to do.”

Meanwhile, Samoa defeated Vanuatu 1-0 in the women’s plate final of the Oceania Pacific Cup Championship today.