PM Narendra Modi Namedrops Hockey Coach Sjoerd Marijne In Hague Address

Last Updated:May 16, 2026, 19:02 IST

Narendra Modi hails Dutch coaches for boosting Indian hockey, lauds Netherlands cricket team and Indian diaspora as India-Netherlands sports ties deepen.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Dutch coaches have worked hard to develop Indian hockey, as he mentioned how Sjoerd Marijne has helped in the recent performances of the Indian women’s hockey team, ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup.

Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday after a brief stopover in the United Arab Emirates, marking the second leg of his five-country tour that also includes Sweden, Norway and Italy.

Highlighting the Indian community’s contribution to Dutch cricket, Modi lauded the Netherlands cricket team for their performances in the recent T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

“The Netherlands team performed well. India is the reigning World Cup champion, but the Dutch team gave them tough competition," Modi said.

The less-experienced Dutch team almost chased down the 193-run target set by India in the World Cup game held in February, falling short of 17 runs.

Modi also lauded the performance of Indian-origin players Teja Nidamanuru, Vikramjit Singh and Aryan Dutt playing for the Dutch team.

“Dutch coaches have also contributed significantly to improving Indian hockey. Our women’s hockey team has been performing exceptionally well for some time now. Coach Marijne has played a key role in this," Modi said.

Marijne, the head coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, is in his third stint with the team. He guided the team to a historic fourth-place finish at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021.

Modi requested the Indian diaspora to watch the games of the Hockey World Cup later this year. The Netherlands is co-hosting the tournament

“It is certain that whoever wins the World Cup, the friendship between India and the Netherlands will surely prevail," Modi said.

The Indian women’s hockey team will play Australia in a four-match series later this month which will be followed by the FIH Nations Cup in New Zealand.

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