India, Jan. 2 -- Hockey India (HI) on Friday announced the appointment of Sjoerd Marijne as the head coach of the Indian women's hockey team. The Dutchman replaces Harendra Singh, who reigned last month due to "personal reasons".

Marijne returns to the Indian setup after a historic performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 when the team finished fourth in only their second appearance at the quadrennial event in more than 36 years.

He will be supported by Matias Vila as analytical coach. Vila is a former midfielder from Argentina who made his international debut in 1997 and competed in the 2000 Sydney and the 2004 Athens Olympics for Argentina. He has been involved in coaching over the past two decades.

Also making his return to th...