Former India coach Oltmans takes charge of Pakistan

Oltmans' return to Pakistan as chief coach of the men's team will be his second spell in the country

Former India hockey coach Roelant Oltmans will take charge of their arch-rivals Pakistan on a two-and-a-half year deal, the 63-year-old Dutchman announced on Wednesday.

Oltmans' return to Pakistan as chief coach of the men's team will be his second spell in the country, having coached them in 2003-04 up to the Athens Olympics where they finished fifth.

The experienced Oltmans was at the helm of Indian hockey for four years from 2013, initially as a high performance director before he took over as chief coach from compatriot Paul van Ass in 2015. Oltmans was sacked from his role last September.

"Today I can confirm an Agreement with PHF for a role as Chief Coach for the next 2 1/2 Years," Oltmans tweeted.

Oltmans' major assignments with Pakistan this year will be the Commonwealth Games in April and the World Cup in December.

Pakistan, three-times Olympic champions and four-times World Cup gold medallists, failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

They are currently ranked 13th in the world.