Waine has been included in an 18-strong squad for the men’s football tournament, which starts in France later this month
Ben Waine was called up by New Zealand for the men’s football competition at the Olympics in France, therefore he will miss a significant portion of Plymouth Argyle’s preseason.
Waine, 23, was a member of the New Zealand team that won the OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) Nations Cup earlier this month. With four goals in the competition, he finished as the second-highest scorer. New Zealand defeated Vanuatu 3-0 in the final.
Teams may only have 18 players on their rosters during the Olympics; three players above the age of 23 are allowed, but at least 15 of the players must be under 23.
Michael Boxall, the defender, Joe Bell, and Sarpreet Singh, the midfield tandem, are the three players from New Zealand who are overage. One of the five forwards chosen by head coach Darren Bazeley is Waine. The others are Oskar van Hattum (Wellington Phoenix), Jesse Randall (Auckland FC), Jay Herdman (Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada), and Ricky Bidois (Loudoun United, USA).
New Zealand will begin their Group A campaign against Guinea in Nice on July 24 and then play the United States three days later before taking on host nation France, also in Marseille, on July 30.
Bazeley said: “The Olympics is a special tournament, so it is great to name the side that will be heading over to Paris 2024 as part of the wider New Zealand team.
“With the competition happening outside of a FIFA window, there have been some challenges with clubs releasing players, who are all really keen to be part of the tournament, but that is an issue that numerous countries have faced.
“In many ways, it shows the level that our players are operating at that top clubs want to hold on to people like Chris Wood, but luckily we have been building real depth, so we have talented options to come in instead.
“Over half of this group were part of the All Whites squad that won the OFC Men’s Nations Cup last month, so we are looking to continue that momentum when we get to France.
“This is a rare opportunity for us to test ourselves against some top teams, especially the hosts France in our final group game, and I know all of the players are massively excited and proud to be representing Aotearoa New Zealand.”
