The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : We want to do well, says Belgium coach

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We want to do well, says Belgium coach

Chennai: The Belgium hockey coach, Adam Commens from Australia, believes his side can benefit much from the forthcoming five-Test series against India, beginning here on January 25.

Speaking to The Hindu after an intense training session at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Sunday, Commens said, “We have a team with a good mix of experience and youth. India is a strong team, rated higher than us, and we want to compete well.”

Belgium has already qualified for the Beijing Olympics and Commens said he wanted his boys to play in the hot conditions here since the weather in the Chinese city could be similar during the big event.

“Our preparations are going along well. We finished third in the European Cup in Manchester to qualify for the Olympics. We beat Germany in the process and there is a lot of confidence in the side.”

Commens, who played 143 games for Australia as a mid-fielder from 1997 to 2004, said he was attempting to get Belgium to adopt a more attacking brand of hockey.

The 32-member team with 24 players arrived here from Brussels on Sunday morning. — Special Correspondent

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