Hockey India sacks chief coach Oltmans

New Delhi : Hockey India today sacked national coach Roelant Oltmans after a string of unimpressive outings at the international level. High-Performance Director David John will be in charge till a suitable replacement is found for a smooth transition of the men’s team.

The decision was taken during the three-day meeting of the Hockey India High Performance and Development Committee, which concluded today. Though the federation did not say it in as many words, it is apparent that the HI bosses are not impressed with the Dutchman.

“Key decisions taken included Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans to step down,” Hockey India said in a release. “While Roelant Oltmans role as Chief Coach in improving the teams’ overall fitness and cohesiveness has been appreciated, the results are what matter and the performance of the team have not been consistent or up to the desired levels.”

The power-packed meeting to assess the way forward for Indian hockey was attended by over 24 members over the last three days. Harbinder Singh, chairman of the Hockey India Selection Committee said, “The Committee was convened since we are collectively not satisfied with the Indian Men’s Hockey team’s performance in 2016 and 2017 and feels that wins in Asia can’t be a benchmark for success anymore.

“We need to show results beyond intent in key international tournaments where the sporadic success over the last two years is more incidental than deliberate. To make results a reality, we need to make hard decisions for the greater good of the future of Hockey in India.

“The current format of coaching was not showing results beyond a certain level. The Committee unanimously agreement that immediate action was required to be taken and while change may not always be comfortable it is essential if we want to position ourselves as a serious global contender for the upcoming critical tournaments in 2018 including the Asian Games & World Cup and 2020 Olympic Games.”