Islamabad (Pakistan), Oct 08: The Pakistan Hockey Federation today appointed Dutchman Roelant Oltmans as the national team's coach until December 2004. Pakistan has not won any international titles since winning the World Cup in 1994 in Sydney.
Oltmans guided his country to an Olympic title in Atlanta in 1996. His first assignment with the Pakistan team will be the Afro-Asian Games in India, which begin October 24. "Oltmans will go with the Pakistan team to India but will properly take charge from December 1," Musarratullah Khan, secretary of the PHF, told reporters in the northern city of Lahore. The Dutch coach said Pakistan has been a force in hockey and it has a lot of talent. "The skills and talent of Pakistan players are top quality," he told a news conference in Lahore. Bureau Report