The team of 18 players includes many who have shone for their respective clubs in the ongoing Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Premier League, including Butali Warriors’ dangerman Festus Onyango who has so far top-scored for the table toppers with three goals in 12 matches.

Other players from the Western Kenya-based side include Allan Iningu, Francis Kariuki, Constant Wakhura, and Kennedy Munialo.

The home boys will be keen to overcome the odds as they face Egypt, Zambia and Ghana in Pool B of the qualifiers — set for October 29-November 5.

Their last appearance at the international level — last year’s Africa Cup of Nations — ended on a whimper as they lost three matches to Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria while collecting a win against Namibia.

Down south, they will be joining their female counterparts who flew out on Tuesday night to compete in the qualifiers.

The Blades will be hoping for better fortunes than in 2019 when they finished fourth at the 2021 Olympics qualifiers in Namibia — where their male counterparts came fifth.

The team of 18 players comprises the women’s Premier League top scorer Maureen Ongoche of Strathmore University who has so far notched three goals for the students who are placed fourth on the log.

They will be battling against Namibia, Ghana and Zambia, with all the matches at the University of Pretoria in Pretoria.

The winners of both categories will get an automatic slot to the Paris Olympics Games.