Marijne formally joins Indian women's hockey team

New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne on Wednesday formally joined the Indian women's hockey team as its chief coach, renewing his association with the squad after a fruitful four-year first stint from 2017 to 2021.

He was reappointed to the post nearly two weeks ago, marking his return to the set-up after guiding the side to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.

Hockey India posted a photo of Marijne being welcomed by the country's top sports official and administrators of the federation.

Marijne also posted a photo of his arrival at the IGI Airport with a caption that read "With fresh energy back in India".

In his job, the 51-year-old will be supported by Matias Vila as the team's analytical coach.

Marijne's first big challenge as chief coach will be the Women's World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14.

Marijne replaced Harendra Singh, who resigned in December last year due to poor results.

In his first stint as chief coach of the Indian women's hockey team, Marijne also led the side to the World League semi-finals in 2017 and silver medals at the 2018 Women's Asian Champions Trophy and Jakarta Asian Games.

Then, in 2019, India qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, beating USA 6-5 on aggregate in the FIH Olympic Qualifiers.

Marijne quit citing personal reasons after India's loss to Great Britain in the bronze medal playoff match in Tokyo in 2021.

The national coaching camp is scheduled to begin on January 19 in SAI, Bengaluru. PTI AH AH APS APS