LAHORE, Oct 8: Dutch coach of Pakistan hockey team,  Roelant Oltmans on Wednesday said that he would have an important say in selection matters of the Pakistan team.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the newly appointed coach Oltmans said we have discussed this point before signing the deal and I will make my recommendations to  selection committee while finalising any team.

He explained that as a professional coach he would have other important duties such as coaching clinics and junior team but he would definitely assist the selection committee.

He added that he had discussed the weak points and areas of improvement of the team, to prepare it for next year’s Athens Olympics and Champions Trophy.

Regarding fitness of the team the Dutchman remarked “ It was not upto me in the past, but in future  the physical  fitness will be an important part of my training and coaching”.

He said that Pakistan was among the first four or five teams in the world keeping in view their performance at the Champions Trophy in Holland recently.

“I was there to observe the matches as FIH Master Coach and made an analysis of Pakistan’s performance “, he said.

“I want to bring medal from Olympics, but there will be many countries,  having  the same objective, so we have to do  lot  of preparations for that aim”, he said.

Oltmans,  remained  the  coach  of  his  national  team  for consecutive ten years from 1989 to 1999.

He said that during his coaching assignment, Holland  earned gold  medals  in two World Cups in 1990 and 1998. It also  won  a gold  medal in Olympics-96 and two gold medals in  the  Champions Trophy in 1996 and 1998.

He  refused  to  disclose the amount involved  in  the  deal signed between him and PHF.