Three volunteer foreign coaches give presentations to the SAI committee
Yesterday, on June 27, a committee in New Delhi, comprising of both Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Hockey India (HI) officials, took presentations from the three foreign coaches who are willing to be selected as the coach for the senior men’s hockey
team of India.
After a long delay from the federation, these short-listed volunteers, Netherlands’ Roelant Oltmans, Jacques Brinkman, who earned the Olympic and the World Cup gold medals two times each and Australia’s Michael Nobbs, gave their proposals to a five-person
committee, who interviewed them under the code of silence.
Each of the presentation lasted for more than an hour where the committee was accompanied by HI’s Executive Director, Anupam Ghulati.
The three coaches admitted their curiosity for having this job and did not reveal their proposals to each other. Most interestingly, Oltmans was the coach of the Dutch team in the 1996 Olympics and 1998 World Cup, which won both the titles and amazingly
one of the short-listed coaches, Brinkman, was part of that team.
With different kinds of proposal from each person, each reflected the long term plans as compared to what can initially be done for improving the team’s performance in short term. HI, being already under-pressure with the Olympic qualifiers requiring a better
squad in short time, has no objection in engaging a foreign coach with a long term contract.
With complete assurance from the sports ministry regarding no financial constraints, the best person for the job will be appointed.
A federation official shared the fact that each contender had given a good first impression and continued, “We didn’t expect anything less anyways. They are professionals, they have not only studied Indian hockey well but are also very clear of what is needed
here and what they can deliver; at the same time they are also very clear about they expect from us.”
The meeting is expected to continue for two more days and later these coaches will fly back home.
Meanwhile, the senior team is all set to begin with their training from July 1, in a practice camp set in Bangalore.
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