PHF ropes in Roelant Oltmans for Junior Asia Cup

Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans is set to work with the Pakistan hockey team as consultant during the Junior Asia Cup.

Oltmans’ services have only been hired for the Junior Asia Cup in Oman, which is scheduled to be held from May 23–June 1.

The 68-year-old has also worked with the Pakistan national hockey side twice in the past in 2003 and 2018.

The Junior Asia Cup is also the qualifying round of the Junior Hockey World Cup 2023. The top three teams of Junior Asia Cup 2023 will qualify for the Junior World Cup.

The coaching staff also includes Olympian Hanif Khan (manager), coaching panel - (Adnan Zakir International, Olympian Mudassar Ali Khan, Asif Ahmed Khan International, Olympian Zeeshan Ashraf, Rana Zubair (drag flickers coach) and Mazhar Abbas International (goalkeepers coach).

"It's heartening to see these kids putting hundred percent in the training," said Hanif Khan while talking to Geo News previously.

"Also, our coaches here are working overnight to prepare them for the event. Their interest and dedication give me a lot of motivation. The way they are training and making the most of their time, I am sure they will give their best performance in the Asia Cup," he added.

The team management will also organise junior boys' matches against senior players of the Pakistan hockey team or strong departmental teams during the ongoing training camp. These practice matches would be organised at the DHA hockey academy in Karachi.

The schedule for these matches would be announced after the selection of the team. Pakistan junior team will leave the country on May 20. The training camp will be continued till the departure of the team, sources added.

The teams have been divided into two pools. Pool A comprises Pakistan, India, Japan, Thailand, and Chinese Taipei, while Pool B consists of Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. Pakistan will play their first match against Chinese Taipei on May 23, Thailand on May 24, India on May 27 and Japan on May 29.