Odisha Hockey World Cup 2023: Netherlands arrive in Bhubaneswar as 1st team from abroad

As the first team from abroad, players, coaches and support staff of the Netherlands team led by skipper Thierry Brinkman arrived in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday amid tight security to take part in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023.

The Oranjes were accorded a warm welcome upon their arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in the Capital City. The team will leave for Rourkela on January 10.

The Dutch, who bagged the Silver medal in the 2018 edition of the Men’s World Cup, will be captained by Brinkman with Jeroen Delmee as their head coach. Three-time winners of the mega event, the Netherlands, are placed in Pool C along with Malaysia, New Zealand and Chile.

The Netherlands will start their campaign against Malaysia at Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on January 14. The team has already played the maximum number of matches (100) in the World Cup so far. The team has a blend of youth and experienced players in their ranks.

The marquee event will be played in two venues--Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela from January 13-29.

As per reports, sumptuous millet dishes will be served to the players during the grand event. The players will be served snacks made from millet. The decision has been taken to create awareness about the nutrient-rich cereal.

A millet food stall will also be set up on the stadium premises during the event. Players and audience can avail millet food products from the stall.

Notably, 2023 has been declared as the ‘International Year of Millets’ by United Nations based on a proposal by India in 2019. Earlier, the country had observed 2018 as the National Year of Millets to boost the production of the nutrient-rich cereal.

Millet is a food that is rich in nutrient. People can get healthy nutrient cheaply by consuming millet. Millet production can also make the tribals in Odisha self-reliant. In a bid to fulfill its millet mission, the Odisha government has signed an agreement with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Netherlands Squad: 

Goalkeepers:

Maurits Visser
Pirmin Blaak

Defenders 

Lars Balk 
Floris Wortelboer
Teun Beins
Jip Janssen
Justen Blok
Derck de Vilder

Midfielders

Jonas de Geus
Seve van Ass
Jorrit Croon
Steijn van Heijningen
Tijmen Reijenga

Strikers

Thijs van Dam
Thierry Brinkman 
Terrance Pieters
Tjep Hoedemakers
Koen Bijen