HARARE, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwe women hockey squad's preparations for the crucial Olympic qualifiers in Kenya next month have been dealt a body blow after five senior players were last week ruled out for various reasons, The Sunday Mail reported.

Virginia Ross, the team manager, said United States-based DanniPycroft had chosen to put her personal career ahead of the national team's interests. She also said Christina Mwaturura and Kristina Manolios will also miss the crucial qualifiers.

Further, sisters Rudo and Kundai Mawema had also asked to be excused from the team.

"The players will not be available for the Olympic qualifiers. We have to excuse those who are still in university and the likes of Christine Mwaturura, who recently graduated, but got a job in China. I think their careers come first before anything else. (But) we still have good players in the squad," Ross said.

The Zimbabwe team is on tour in South Africa in preparation for the African Cup, slated for July 11-14 in Nairobi that will also be used as part of the Olympic qualifiers.

Using just a part of the rundown astro turf at the dilapidated Magamba Hockey Stadium, the women's squad has been holding training sessions under the watchful eye of coach Bill Birkett.

However, the team's morale appears to have been boosted by the arrival of US-based trio of Geraldine Raynor, Sarah Blythe-Wood and Holes Wiles who reported for camp during the week. They are expected to spearhead the team's quest for a berth at the Olympics.

Zimbabwe next month faces continental champions South Africa as well as Egypt, Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria and the hosts Kenya.

Winners of the tournament gain automatic entry to represent Africa at next year's Beijing Olympic Games.

The second best-placed team in Nairobi will grab an opportunity to battle for another ticket to Beijing at another qualifying tournament involving the first runners-up of other continental qualifiers later this year.

About 39 locally based players have reported for camp. Zimbabwe attained its first Olympic medal at the 1980 Games, when the hockey's Golden Girls scooped a gold in Moscow, Russia.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe team has received a boost of 45 000 U.S. dollars from the Olympic Solidarity Fund.