The unfortunate Joosje Burg, who got a ball on her nose in the semi-finals of the Olympic hockey tournament against Argentina on Wednesday (3-0 win), will not be able to play the final with the Dutch Women against China on Friday evening. Burg’s nose is broken, according to research. Pien Dicke, present as a reserve in Paris, will replace Burg in the final battle for gold.
National coach Paul van Ass: ‘This is of course a huge disappointment for Joosje and all of us. We do not want to take the risk that her nose will get hit or start bleeding again during the match tomorrow. Medically speaking, she could play, but we also want to protect Joosje. We have to perform at our best tomorrow and do not take any risks in an Olympic final. That is why I have made the difficult decision in the interest of the entire team that Joosje will not be there tomorrow and will be replaced by Pien Dicke.’
Burg was injured in the first quarter on Wednesday night after a ball hit her nose via her own stick. The Den Bosch attacker went straight to the ground, where she was treated for her heavily bleeding nose. That treatment was continued in the locker room, after which Burg surprisingly made her comeback in the second half.
That turned out to be short-lived because she continued to have problems with her nose and the tampon in her nose made breathing difficult. After the match, Burg was taken to the hospital by ambulance, where her nose was examined. There, the doctors determined that her nose was broken.
An emotional Frédérique Matla and Joosje Burg. Photo: Willem Vernes
The blow for Burg caused a shock within the Orange selection. Striker and girlfriend Frédérique Matla was emotional. Due to Burg’s failure, the Netherlands played most of the match against Argentina with a selection of fifteen players. Nevertheless, the Orange never got into trouble and won convincingly with 3-0, which means that the defending champion will compete against China for the gold on Friday at 8 p.m.
Dicke’s Olympic debut
Pien Dicke, the attacker of SCHC, has been present as a reserve since the beginning of the Games, together with goalkeeper Josine Koning and defender Rosa Fernig. They do train, but are camping near the Olympic village. None of the players have been in action in this tournament. Dicke will now make her Olympic debut in the final. Special: Dicke made her international debut against China on 12 January 2002 in Changzhou. The Orange Ladies won 2-4 at the time.
Pien Dicke (right) replaces the injured Joosje Burg in the Olympic final. Photo: Willem Vernes
