For sports to flourish, states should support 1 game each: Women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal

BHUBANESWAR: Women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal on Tuesday lauded the Odisha government efforts in promoting hockey and said other states should do the same.
“Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has set an example for other states by supporting the national hockey teams. Such support gives us encouragement. It’s not just about hockey. He has taken various initiatives for the development of other sports as well. I think every state should support one game each,” Rani said during a media interaction here.
Rani and the rest of the team who are here for a felicitation programme by the Odisha government for the best-ever fourth-place finish at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, said, “We have three major events next year which include the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the World Cup. All the three tournaments are important for us. We will try to perform well and win a medal.”
On the performance in Tokyo, where the team had lost the first three matches before upping the game to reach the semifinals, Rani said despite the initial defeats, the team had performed well.
“After we lost the first three matches, everyone thought that the women’s team would crash out of the tournament. But our coaching staff helped us a lot and we told ourselves that there are still two more matches, and a chance to reach the quarterfinals. Since we could not change what had happened in the past, we focussed on our job and made qualifying for the quarters our goal,” said Rani.
When asked about coach Sjoerd Marijne’s decision to quit, the captain said the entire team respects the decision as he has decided to devote time to his family. “He has worked a lot in the last five years to improve the performance of the team and everyone has seen that. We will miss him. We have high regards for him. Janneke Schopman (former Dutch hockey player) will take over as head coach,” she said.
On the difference between Indian and foreign coaches, Rani said it is difficult to compare. “Every coach has his own style. Indian coaches are also very good which we have seen in the past,” she added.
Rani also lauded Odisha’s hockey fans for their support. “Many of them come to the stadium to cheer for India and other teams. When we play here we feel as if we are playing with a 12th player and that gives us extra energy,” Rani said.
Asked about the development of hockey, goalkeeper and senior player Savita Punia said work needs to be done at the grass-roots level. “Even though we missed the medal, we touched peoples’ heart. If we compare our performances in Rio and the recent Olympics, we can feel the difference,” said Savita.