Legendary Dutch hockey coach and newly-appointed Consultant of Pakistan junior hockey team Roelant Oltmans called on Director General Sports Punjab Dr Asif Tufail at National Hockey Stadium here on Tuesday.
The promotion of hockey among Pakistan youth was discussed in detail during the important meeting. Director Sports Nadeem Qaiser, Director Admin Ijaz Munir, Deputy Director Planning Rauf Bajwa and Assistant Director Zahoor Ahmed were also present on this occasion.
Talking on this occasion, Director General Sports Punjab Dr Asif Tufail appreciated the rich experience and valuable services of veteran Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans for the promotion of hockey in Pakistan. “We are quite upbeat that Pakistan junior hockey team, under Roelant Oltmans, will offer satisfactory performance in the upcoming Junior Asia Cup scheduled to take place from May 23 to June 1 in Salalah, Oman”.
Director General Sports Punjab Dr Asif Tufail urged the Pakistan junior players to fully exploit this opportunity and learn modern hockey techniques from world class coach Roelant Oltmans. “It is an honour for us that Roelant Oltmans had coached our young hockey players in a coaching programme organized under the arrangements of Sports Board Punjab”.
Seasoned international hockey coach Roelant Oltmans, who had also coached Pakistan men’s hockey team, Netherlands men’s and women’s hockey teams, India men’s and Malaysia men’s teams in the past, said that Pakistan has a golden history in men’s hockey. They have won several World Cup, Olympics and Champions Trophy titles in the past. “Pakistan has been blessed with plenty of hockey potential and still they have the ability to regain the lost hockey glory by adopting modern hockey techniques,” he added