New Zealand have earned a late reprieve and been invited to compete in men's hockey at next year's Olympic Games.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed on Thursday it has chosen the Black Sticks to fill the 12th and final spot at the Olympic tournament after South Africa withdrew both its men's and women's teams from Rio. Spain will take the vacant women's spot.
The FIH confirmed New Zealand was at the front of the queue to take the men's spot as they were the next-highest placed team in the Hockey World League Semi-Finals.
It has sent an invitation letter to the New Zealand Olympic committee which is expected to ratify the team's place.
New Zealand squandered two opportunities to qualify - at June's World League Semi-Final in Buenos Aires, and last month's Oceania Cup in Stratford when they lost to Australia in the final.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee said neither of its teams had qualified in the method it had stipulated - through the World League tournament - so pulled both out.
That ruling was appealed by the South African Hockey Association to the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC executive board said that under its charter, the authority of a country's National Olympic Committee must be honoured.
Hockey New Zealand chief executive Malcolm Harris recently told NZ Newswire that it would continue to prepare as if the eighth-ranked Black Sticks were going to Rio.
"It's important to ensure that if we do get invited, we're well prepared," he said.
"We believe we deserve to qualify for the Olympics."
The New Zealand men have played at every Olympics hockey tournament since Sydney 2000, with their most notable performance coming in 1976 when they won gold.
The fourth-ranked women's Black Sticks qualified for the Olympics through the Hockey World League Semi-finals.
MEN'S OLYMPIC HOCKEY FIELD
Brazil (hosts), Australia (Oceania champions), India (Asia), Argentina (Pan America), Netherlands (Europe), Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand (all Hockey World League Semi-Finals).
