<p>Bengaluru: Ever since Harendra Singh resigned as the head coach of the Indian women’s hockey team nearly to a month ago, Sjoerd Marijne’s name was doing the rounds as a replacement for the Indian. </p>.<p>The speculation was put to rest on Friday when Hockey India made an official announcement of reappointing the 51-year-old Dutchman as the chief coach of the national squad. </p>.<p>Marijne is a no stranger to the role. Regarded as the mastermind behind the Indian women squad’s historic run at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where they beat the mighty Australia 1-0 in the quarterfinal before a fourth-place finish, the former player had served the women’s team from 2017 before calling it quits citing family reasons in 2021 immediately after the Tokyo Games.</p>.Vijay Hazare Trophy: KL Rahul returns as Karnataka seek revenge.<p>Having earned respect for transforming a struggling side to one of the best units in world hockey during his previous stint, Marijne, once again, will take charge of a side going through a turmoil. Following below average results that led to them missing out on qualifying for the Paris Olympics in 2024 to the conflict between a few players and now-resigned Harendra, the 10th-ranked team in the world will need some serious tidying up. </p>.<p>For the significant task at hand, Marijne will be joined by Argentine Matias Vila as analytical coach and South African Wayne Lombard as scientific advisor and head of athletic performance. Lombard will be supported by Rodet Yila and Ciara Yila -- both in the role of scientific advisors. </p>.<p>“It’s great to be back,” Marijne said through an HI press release. “After 4.5 years, I return with fresh energy and a clear vision to support the team’s growth and help the players achieve their full potential on the world stage.”</p>.<p>Still without a direct qualification for the World Cup scheduled in August, to be co-hosted by Belgium and Netherlands, Marijne will hope to turn the fortunes around in his first assignment back as the head coach at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14. The Asian Games, with a Los Angeles Olympics qualification on offer for the gold medallists, is the other big event later this year. </p>.<p>Marijne is set to arrive in India on January 14 while the national camp will begin on January 19 at the Sports Authority of India here in Bengaluru. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Ever since Harendra Singh resigned as the head coach of the Indian women’s hockey team nearly to a month ago, Sjoerd Marijne’s name was doing the rounds as a replacement for the Indian. </p>.<p>The speculation was put to rest on Friday when Hockey India made an official announcement of reappointing the 51-year-old Dutchman as the chief coach of the national squad. </p>.<p>Marijne is a no stranger to the role. Regarded as the mastermind behind the Indian women squad’s historic run at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where they beat the mighty Australia 1-0 in the quarterfinal before a fourth-place finish, the former player had served the women’s team from 2017 before calling it quits citing family reasons in 2021 immediately after the Tokyo Games.</p>.Vijay Hazare Trophy: KL Rahul returns as Karnataka seek revenge.<p>Having earned respect for transforming a struggling side to one of the best units in world hockey during his previous stint, Marijne, once again, will take charge of a side going through a turmoil. Following below average results that led to them missing out on qualifying for the Paris Olympics in 2024 to the conflict between a few players and now-resigned Harendra, the 10th-ranked team in the world will need some serious tidying up. </p>.<p>For the significant task at hand, Marijne will be joined by Argentine Matias Vila as analytical coach and South African Wayne Lombard as scientific advisor and head of athletic performance. Lombard will be supported by Rodet Yila and Ciara Yila -- both in the role of scientific advisors. </p>.<p>“It’s great to be back,” Marijne said through an HI press release. “After 4.5 years, I return with fresh energy and a clear vision to support the team’s growth and help the players achieve their full potential on the world stage.”</p>.<p>Still without a direct qualification for the World Cup scheduled in August, to be co-hosted by Belgium and Netherlands, Marijne will hope to turn the fortunes around in his first assignment back as the head coach at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14. The Asian Games, with a Los Angeles Olympics qualification on offer for the gold medallists, is the other big event later this year. </p>.<p>Marijne is set to arrive in India on January 14 while the national camp will begin on January 19 at the Sports Authority of India here in Bengaluru. </p>