Britain draw Argentina in men's hockey opener

LONDON - Britain's men's hockey team will play their opening match of the London Olympics against Argentina, one of whose players caused a controversy this month with a video filmed in the disputed Falkland islands.

Games organisers announced the hockey competition schedule on Tuesday with men's champions Germany starting their tournament with a match against Belgium.

In the women's competition, Australia will play regional rivals New Zealand in the opening match while champions Netherlands face their neighbours Belgium.

Argentine player Fernando Zylberberg caused a furore in Britain with a state-supported television advertisement that showed him training in the Falklands, the south Atlantic islands that Britain and Argentina went to war over in 1982.

The video ended with the voiceover: "To compete on English soil, we are training on Argentine soil."

Zylberberg was dropped from Argentina's final Olympic warm-up event in Malaysia but was in the side that qualified for London and his absence does not mean he is definitely discarded for the July 27-Aug 12 Games.