The Indian women's hockey team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne stepped down from his position on August 6, 2021. He revealed that India's bronze medal match against Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics was his last assignment with the Indian side.
Sjoerd Marijne decided to step down after coaching the Indian women's hockey team to its best-ever performance in the Olympic Games, guiding them to a commendable fourth-place finish. The Indian women's hockey team narrowly missed the bronze medal after a 3-4 loss against Great Britain earlier today.
The team's achievements received a lot of praise back home and Prime Minister Narendra Modi specially called the team to urge them to hold their heads high, as despite not winning the medal, they won a lot of hearts with their spirited performances.
#WATCH | Indian Women's hockey team breaks down during telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He appreciates them for their performance at #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/n2eWP9Omzj
— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2021
The Indian women's hockey team has never come so close to winning a medal in the Olympics before. They not only beat some of the best teams to stand at fourth place but also narrowly missed the bronze medal by just one goal against Great Britain.
We did not win a medal, but I think we have won something bigger. We have made Indians proud again and we inspired millions of girls that dreams CAN come true as long as you work hard for it and believe it! Thanks for all the support! 🇮🇳
— Sjoerd Marijne (@SjoerdMarijne) August 6, 2021
Just few hours after the defeat, 47-year-old Marijne announced that this was his last assignment with the Indian team. The team's analytical coach Janneke Schopman is likely to be named as the team’s new chief coach.
Why is Sjoerd Marijne stepping down?
•Sjoerd Marijne announced during a virtual press conference that he does not have any plans because this was his last match with Indian women.
•As per reports, both Sjoerd Marijne and Janneka Schopman were offered contract extension by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). However, Marijne reportedly refused the extension citing personal reasons.
•Sjoerd Marijne said during a virtual interaction that the decision to quit was fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dutch national has been unable to visit his family in the Netherlands, since the last 16 months due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.
Marijne said, "I don't have any plans because this was my last match with Indian women. It's upto Janneke (Schopman) now. I will miss the girls but I miss my family more. My family is No 1. I want to be with my son, daughter and wife after being away for three and a half years. This is a beautiful way to end this journey.”
Sjoerd Marijne's journey with the Indian women's hockey team
•Sjoerd Marijne, a former Dutch player, had first started coaching the Indian women's hockey team in 2017 but was soon appointed as the coach of the Indian men's team later that year.
•He was appointed as the coach of the women's team again in 2018, while Graham Reid was appointed as the coach of the Indian men’s hockey team.
•Under his guidance, the Indian women's hockey team has come the farthest ever, bringing about the much-awaited revival of Indian hockey.
•Sjoerd Marijne previously played for the Netherlands and had guided the Dutch Under-21 women's side to a World Cup title.
•He had also guided the Dutch senior women's side to gold at the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in 2015.
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