A banner with thousands of Hawke's Bay signatures, which almost found it's way to the sideline of an Olympic Games gold medal showdown at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, has now found its way back to its spiritual homeland in Hastings.
The banner, a mark of Hawke's Bay's sponsorship and support for the Black Sticks in their bid for Olympic glory almost three years ago has been proudly displayed at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park, where the Black Sticks women are playing in this week's eight-team Hawke's Bay Cup international tournament.
It survived the games, where the Black Sticks were beaten by eventual winners The Netherlands in a semifinal penalty shootout and eventually finished fourth.
It also avoided the clutches of souvenir hunters and returned to New Zealand, where it had been stored in a Hockey New Zealand store room, until it was decided it was "appropriate" to return it to Hawke's Bay.
Yesterday was a day off for the teams, enabling players to get out of the motels and dormitories, away from the turf of battle, which was relished by Argentina's Los Leonas when they attended a luncheon hosted by Argentine ambassador to New Zealand, Fernando Escalona, at Hohepa, near Clive.
The Black Sticks beat Argentina 3-2 on on Sunday, drew 2-all with Japan on Saturday, when Argentina beat Korea 2-0.
The tournament resumes today with the last round-robin matches.