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.
"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.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.