Asian Games 2026: Sjoerd Marijne wants India women's hockey to 'fight' for historic gold

The Indian women’s hockey team is hoping to end a 44-year wait for a second Asian Games gold

With just four days left before the Indian women’s team begins its Asian Games 2026 campaign in Japan, the excitement is building around a team arriving with renewed belief. A historic fifth-place finish at the FIH World Cup 2026 has given Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne’s side confidence and momentum, but the focus has quickly shifted to the challenge ahead.

As the team settles into the conditions in Japan, history is within reach—an Asian Games gold would be only the second in the history of Indian women’s hockey after 1982.

Amid a busy schedule of training, preparations, and acclimatisation, Chief Coach Marijne took time out to share his thoughts on the team’s mindset and ambitions.

What are your impressions after landing in Japan and now when the team is back into its regular training routine?

We were in Bangalore for active rest (after returning from the FIH World Cup), and after landing in Japan, it is about adjustments to the difference in time and creating more intensity in the training sessions as we get near to the tournament. We’re in a really beautiful environment… Everybody is now focused on the Asian Games.

So, Dr Wayne Lombard and his team begin by getting the players back up to the same energy level before you step in…

Wayne is responsible for building the programme on the physical side. People think always it’s about training more and more but a really important factor in this is the rest and what way you’re doing the rest, but also the strength sessions. So, he’s building the programme. He monitors the players: how do they feel? How well do they sleep? Do they feel fresh? These things are very important for us staff to know; how high can the training intensity be? Wayne tells me more or less what I can do in my sessions, not which exercise but how high the energy can be and how intense it can be.

We finished just outside the semifinals bracket at the FIH World Cup, finishing fifth place, which is the best for the Indian women’s team in 52 years. But have you and the team put that behind you now, focusing on creating history at the Asian Games with a second-ever gold medal?

Absolutely! The last day we were at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru (before flying to Japan), I asked the chef from SAI if he could make a special dinner for the players featuring Japanese cuisine and dishes they like. We were in the athletes’ area, and there I said to the girls, ‘Listen, we did something remarkable and historical, but we have to move on to the next tournament. Later in your life, you will recall this World Cup, like it was amazing what we achieved…and this is also a moment to stand still and move on from what just happened instead of going on and on (about it). You have to close a chapter before you move to the next one.’ I asked the players what their most beautiful memory about the World Cup was. That way, they lived it one more time.

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Our video analyst made a really beautiful movie with all the goals, with all the beautiful moments. The last slide said ‘Road to Asian Games’ and now it has started. So that way, it is behind us. We took a moment to relive what we can be proud of, and I also told the players success is not guaranteed. You have to fight for it again and give even more.

The squad for the Asian Games is same as the World Cup. There were 11 World Cup debutants who must have grown as players. Have they particularly shared their experiences with you in terms of feeling more comfortable and confident now?

Yeah, of course they are. They have experienced all different kind of playing cultures, playing styles and that’s what we can use and build for the future. The focus is on the team itself and how we want to improve after the World Cup…I want more and more because if we stand still and think like we are there, that’s the first stage when you stop improving.

There are some record-breaking moments coming up, chiefly Savita becoming the most capped Indian woman player when she plays her second match in these Asian Games. How do you keep players focused and not think about such milestones?

Savita is very professional, so I’m not worried about this at all. If there’s one player who’s focused on the team, then it’s Savita and I think the other players just want to run harder for her. That’s the way it works in the team. We’re really focused as a team and not on the individual milestones. We celebrate as a team.

India were very solid in defence throughout the World Cup where we held higher-ranked opponents to draws and then beat Germany 3-1. So, do you believe the team is now at a level where we have all bases covered?

These matches gave us the confidence that the way we are doing things, the way we are defending, the way we are creating, it works for us. But it doesn’t mean it will constantly work if we don’t continue to put in the effort. That is what we keep telling the players…The basics need to be good. The running, the intensity, all these small things.

Have you made plans to negate the threat from India’s main challenger China at the Asian Games?

I must say, I hardly use the word China or Japan or Korea or any other country during our team talks. We are really busy with ourselves. What other countries are doing, it doesn’t have my interest. We need to do our things really well, and then the outcome can be good.

You are being hailed as India’s ‘Chak de’ coach. How does that make you feel?

For me, the most important thing is the connection with the players, with my staff, with Hockey India and with SAI. I feel very appreciated, and I think that every person likes that. It’s the same for me. I feel very appreciated here in India; and yes, it is, of course, great to hear the stories from ‘Chak de India.’ The girls also speak sometimes about it. So, it’s quite funny.

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