Asiad gold proved hockey is still alive in India: Oltmans

India’s gold medal in the just-concluded Asian Games after a 16-year hiatus has proved that hockey is ‘still alive and kicking’ in the country which has a rich history in the sport, feels High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans.

A spirited India outclassed arch-rivals Pakistan 4-2 in a nerve-wrecking shoot-out to regain the Asian Games men’s hockey gold medal after a gap of 16 years and also sealed a direct entry into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Before embarking for the Asian Games, there was immense pressure on highly-paid Oltmans and chief coach Terry Walsh to deliver results, but the legendary Dutchman said the performance in Incheon will definitely silence the critics of hockey.

‘I never feel pressure. The word pressure in not in my dictionary. I know my job. I know what I am doing and the same way Terry knows what he is doing. It is important that people have faith in us and let us do our work,’ Oltmans told PTI in an interview.  ‘I hope the gold will silence the critics for quite some time now. This gold proves that hockey is still alive and kicking in this country,’ he said.