Sjoerd Marijne Returns to Coach Indian Women's Hockey Team

Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne rejoined the Indian women's hockey team after a successful previous tenure. He aims to lead them to new victories following his earlier achievements, including a historic Olympic run. Marijne takes over from Harendra Singh, with the Women's World Cup Qualifiers as his first big challenge.

On Wednesday, Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne officially rejoined the Indian women's hockey team as chief coach, marking a renewed association after his impactful first term from 2017 to 2021. Marijne's return comes two weeks after his reappointment, following his leadership that led the team to a remarkable fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.

Hockey India released a photo commemorating Marijne's welcome by the nation's top sports officials as he steps back into the coaching arena. Marijne himself shared an image on social media, capturing his arrival in India, and expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "With fresh energy back in India." Supporting him in his role is Matias Vila as the analytic coach.

Faced with the immediate task of preparing for the Women's World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14, Marijne has taken over the role vacated by Harendra Singh, who resigned due to unsatisfactory results last December. Marijne's past successes include leading India to the World League semi-finals in 2017 and securing silver at the 2018 Women's Asian Champions Trophy and Jakarta Asian Games.