Germany u21

The FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers: India is not a strange land and a new experience for Valentin Altenburg, the chief coach of the Germany women's hockey team that starts as the top favourite to top the standings and clinch a berth to the Paris Olympic Games via the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers starting here on Saturday.

He has visited and managed different teams in India, with the senior men's team for the 2014-15 Hockey World League Final in Raipur, as coach of the Dabang Mumbai team in the Hockey India League and now as the coach of the senior women's hockey team from Deutschland.

The different visits to India over the years to execute different roles have also helped Altenburg grow as a coach of international repute and help the Germany senior men's team win a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.