Why the hockey final is so incredibly loaded

Tonight, the Dutch women will play against the Chinese team. Undefeated, they have beaten all other opponents on the blue fields of the Stade Yves du Manoir. Statistically speaking (they have not lost a match yet and have already won against China), you would think it should be a walk through the Tuileries on a sunny autumn day, but of course, it is not. It’s about the Olympic Games. The tension is even higher than the bar, it is so warm that alarms are set to drink at night, and there is something else that makes this match extra loaded.

The coach of China
Alyson Annan, once the best hockey player in the world herself, leads the Chinese team to great heights. But this Annan was previously the coach of another hockey team. Good guess: the Dutch women. And it was not exactly a big cozy knitting oasis there. Yibbi Jansen dropped out six months before the Games because things didn’t click between her and Annan, and ultimately Annan was even fired due to the culture of fear and verbal intimidation that was said to prevail under her leadership.

Moreover, she knows the Dutch players inside and out, but the Orange ladies are of a rare strength and fitness, are undefeated, and have the geographical advantage that Paris is just a bit closer for the Dutch supporters than for all the fans from China, so that whole stadium will be behind them. That helps too.

The nose of Joosje Burg
During the semi-final, Netherlands-Argentina, Joosje Burg got hit in the nose by a ball. She was taken off the field but later returned, with a nose stuffed with cotton, back onto the field. After the match, she went to the hospital to be examined, and it turns out her nose is broken, which means she will not be playing.

But we do have Maria Verschoor, Yibbi Jansen, Felice Albers, and let’s not forget that amazing goalkeeper Anne Veenendaal. A smart head that comes by.

Tonight at 20:00.