Indian women's hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne is optimistic about the team's performance in the upcoming FIH Women's World Cup and Asian Games, despite the challenging 20-day gap between the two major tournaments.
Key Points
- Indian women's hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne is confident despite the short 20-day gap between the World Cup and Asian Games.
- The FIH Women's World Cup in Belgium (August 14-30) will precede the Asian Games in Japan (September 19 onwards).
- Playing many matches is crucial for tactical understanding and adapting to opponents' strategies.
- Former captain MM Somaya views the World Cup as ideal preparation for the Asian Games.
- A gold medal at the Asian Games guarantees a berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Indian women's hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne on Thursday conceded that the 20-day gap between the World Cup and the Asian Games is tough, but expressed confidence in his team's ability to tide over physical barriers.
The FIH Women's World Cup will be held between August 14 and 30 at Wavre, Belgium before the team travels to Japan for the Asian Games, beginning on September 19.
Preparing For Dual Challenges
"Like it was in 2018 (Jakarta Games where India brought home a silver), the (FIH) World Cup can help us at this Asian Games," said Marijne, who led India to a historic fourth-place finish at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
"We have to focus on good strength and conditioning. But it is important for us to play a lot of matches. It will help the girls understand tactics better and also adjust to opponents' tactics," said the Dutchman while speaking in a panel discussion organised by Sports Writers' Association of Bangalore (SWAB) as part of the World Sports Journalists Day celebration.
MM Somaya, former India captain and gold medallist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, said the World Cup which precedes the continental championship will offer the ideal lead-up.
"We are ranked eighth in the world among men and ninth among women. So it is important to win as many matches as we can.
"The Cup format has also changed and it has three stages, which means we have to focus on every match," said Somaya while speaking on the subject - 'Indian Hockey: Big year, bigger aspirations.'
A gold medal in this Asian Games will ensure a berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and Somaya urged the teams to go full steam in the event.
