India is an interesting option: Oltmans

NEW DELHI: Veteran Dutch hockey coach Roelant Oltmans has termed the assignment of coaching India as an interesting proposition, which comes with a few riders.

“India is an interesting option. I have always said that it will be interesting to coach Indian team,” Oltmans said in Rome.

“As far as I am concerned, I did not receive any formal offer from India. I don’t know how my name is considered as a front runner for the job. As long as I do not receive any such offer, it will be premature to talk,” added the former coach of 1996 Atlanta Olympic and Utrecht World Cup winning Dutch team.

He, however, admitted that him accepting any offer to coach the Indian team would depend on many things.

“My accepting the offer will depend on quite a few things. I will have to talk on many aspects before accepting any offer. As far as my availability is concerned, again it will depend on many things,” said the 57-year-old.

The national team is without a foreign coach since Spaniard Jose Brasa’s term ended after the Guangzhou Asian Games last year, where India won bronze.

Harendra Singh, who was deputy to Brasa, was named his successor but a poor sixth placed finish in Azlan Shah Cup has forced HI and the sports ministry to expedite the process of finding a foreign coach.

Sports Ministry is keen on providing the team with a foreign expert for a long tenure of four or five years this time.

It is learnt that HI appointed five-member committee headed by Pargat Singh, has shortlisted five names which also includes Oltmans.

Impressed with Indian hockey’s glorious past, Oltmans termed the eight-time Olympic champions as a “sleeping giant”.

“India are a sleeping giant who did not perform to its capabilities in last one decade,” said Oltmans, who was the head coach of Pakistan hockey team in 2003-04.

The head coach of the men’s team of Larensche Mixed Hockey Club, Oltmans is happy with his current job.

“Apart from coaching, I am also the performance manager of National Olympic Committee (elite sports). I am happy with my job in my country,” he said.

But Oltmans did not ruled out any future possibility saying, “Never say never to anything.

Indian hockey team is scheduled to play the eight-nation Champions Trophy to be held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium from December 3-11, followed by the Olympic qualifier from February 15-26 next year.