Sjoerd Marijne spoke about the World Cup and upcoming Asian Games. (Instagram) On Sunday, the team sat down together for dinner at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bengaluru, and Marijne urged them to pause for a moment before moving on. "Because you go on to the next tournament, you forget those things, and you move on and move on. But it's first important to stand still and to realise what just happened." Then Marijne changed his words while speaking to them. "My last slide was more or less; now it's the road to the Asian Games. It has begun." The upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya are set to begin on September 19. For India, the tournament's prize will be beyond just a medal. The winner gets a direct berth at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Sjoerd Marijne spoke about the upcoming Asian Games. (X) Asked whether the Asian Games is an all-or-nothing event. His answer is measured, rather than dramatic. "If you can qualify already now, two years before the Olympics starts, that would be perfect, because you have time for your program. You don't have to worry anymore. You know where you're going to," he says. "If you don't qualify, there are other ways, but it's always difficult. The longer and the closer it is to the Olympics, the more difficult it is to build your program. You want to have clarity as soon as possible." Marijne is like a father figure to this team. The most revealing moment of the interview is his refusal. Asked what the Northeast and tribal belts are doing right to produce players like Lalremsiami, Salima Tete and Bichu Devi Kharibam, Marijne's answer is six words. When asked again, with the question reframed as a point around regional ecosystems, rather than individuals, his answer doesn't change. "Again, I only have players from India. I don't have players from regions." Indian hockey has always been read through state and belt, through Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand and Manipur, through the districts that supply the pipeline. But Marijne feels that the dressing room is not where that reading happens. It is a small answer with a large amount of intent behind it. He hasn't stripped India out of the environment he has built. He has done the total opposite. The unity bands and crystal stones he has given the squad come from a wish to bring the culture of India closer to the team.