Roelant Oltmans to be new coach for India hockey till 2016 Rio Olympic Games

The decision comes a day after the nine-member committee recommended the removal of Holland’s Paul van Ass as chief coach, barely five months into the job. The van Ass saga — who has maintained that he was sacked after a public spat with Hockey India president Narinder Batra during the World League semi-finals in Belgium earlier this month — thus came to a bitter end.

“Oltmans has agreed to be the coach until the Rio Olympics and we would want him to continue after that too,” Batra said here after a meeting.

Questions though still remain on van Ass’ exit, who had replaced Terry Walsh of Australia. The 54-year-old had on Friday revealed emails between him and Oltmans in which he was informed of his sacking by the latter.

Oltmans remained unavailable for comment.

When quizzed why HI was not seeking answers from Oltmans for sending those emails, Batra chose to downplay the matter.

Said Batra, “Coaches come and go. We want to look ahead and prepare the team for the Olympics. We will talk to Oltmans about the support staff he needs and will give him all possible assistance.”

The Indian campers are currently undergoing a prepratory camp in Shilaroo, Himachal Pradesh, and will depart for a tour of Spain and France on July 30.

Oltmans, who coached the Netherlands to an Olympic gold medal in 1996 and the World Cup title two years later, will be the seventh foreigner to coach India in the last 10 years.

Speculation over van Ass’ future arose last week when he failed to take charge of an ongoing national training camp and also did not submit reports on the recent World Hockey League in Antwerp, Belgium, where India finished fourth.

Van Ass maintained that he had been fired soon after the league ended and revealed that Oltmans had been asked to take over.