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Hockey coaches Marijne, Harendra to swap places (Lead)

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New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) In yet another coaching reshuffle in Indian hockey, the national men’s and the women’s hockey teams’ head coaches Sjoerd Marijne and Harendra Singh have been asked to swap sides, Hockey India (HI) announced on Tuesday.

The announcement comes after both the men’s and the women’s teams failed to grab a medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April.

This means 44-year-old Dutchman Marijne has returned to the women’s team which he had left in September after being six months in charge.

Hockey India (HI) Secretary General Mohd Mushtaque Ahmed said: “Harendra Singh brings with himself wealth of experience and has previously managed a lot of the men’s team players during his stints in the Hockey India League and with the junior teams.

“While, Marijne’s first stint with the Women’s team was a very successful one and we are sure he will continue to do well with this team as he has done in the past.”

Marijne, urged by HI to accelerate the growth of a talented young generation, saw the team change a lot of players. His team saw the axing of some of the seniors like Sardar Singh and Ramandeep Singh.

Under Marijne, India retained the Asia Cup and clinched the bronze medal in the Hockey World League (HWL) Final in late 2017. However, his team finished fourth in the CWG. Experts questioned the changing of players in a crucial year for the Indian team.

“We won the Asia Cup with dominant hockey, in the World league we have shown we can beat world class teams and with our New Zealand tour we made another step in our process to win the Asian games and the World Cup,” Marijne said in a statement.

“Unfortunately in the Commonwealth Games we didn’t perform the way we expected but still we had good statistics.”

Marijne said that he had a lot of trust in his players driven coaching style, in which “players learn to take responsibility for their actions because all the decisions which are taken they were involved and that means they were supporting the plan”.

“I had a lot of confidence that with this way of working we could win the Asian Games and the World Cup,” he said.

“I wish the new coach all the best with this process and I will focus on the women to continue the process I started 14 months ago to do well at the World Cup and the Asian Games. The girls worked hard and I am looking forward to see them again at the Asian Champions Trophy in South Korea.”

It will also be a return to the men’s coaching top post for former international Harendra, who worked as head coach between 2009 and 2011. He also led the junior men’s team to World Cup glory during an eight-month stint.

Harendra’s most important contribution to the women’s team was leading them to the Asia Cup title in Japan last year. The team finished fourth in the CWG.

“It is an honour for me to now manage the Indian men’s hockey team. It has been a very satisfying journey with the Indian Women’s Hockey team and I would like to thank Hockey India for entrusting me with the new role as we prepare ourselves for a very important season ahead,” he said.

Harendra also served as the assistant coach during the Sydney Olympics (2000), World Cup (Junior 2005, 2006 and 2010), Asian Games (2006 and 2010), Asia Cup (Junior 2004 and 2009), Champion’s Challenge (2009) and various other tournaments.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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