It wasn’t respectful: Sjoerd Marijne on being made to shuttle between women’s and men’s hockey teams

Sjoerd Marijne has played his part in scripting India’s Olympic history but the outgoing women’s hockey team chief coach still has scars from what he feels was a “disrespectful” transition back in 2018, when he was removed from the men’s side after the Commonwealth Games disappointment.

The former Dutch player came to the country to take over the Indian women’s team in 2017 but was appointed the chief coach of the men’s side later that year. However, in 2018, he was re-designated as the women’s coach in a rejigging of roles with Junior World Cup-winning coach Harendra Singh taking charge of the men’s side.

But that episode is still fresh in Marijne’s mind as he left the country after a successful four-year stint.

“Of course, I was not really happy with the transition. I was not really happy with what happened, the way it happened with the men’s team and I don’t think that was fairly respectful,” Marijne told PTI.

“But the moment I returned to the women’s team, Savita (India’s goalkeeper) came to my room and said ‘listen we are really happy you are back’. That moment for me was the changing moment. I felt okay, it’s good to be there again.”

Marijne said if he was given more…

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