Viren Rasquinha

{{Infobox field hockey player

| name = Viren Rasquinha

| fullname = Viren Wilfred Rasquinha

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|9|13|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Maharashtra, India

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nickname =

| height = {{convert|5|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}

| weight =

| website =

| position = Midfielder

| youthclubs1 = Bombay Republicans

| youthyears1 =

| youthcaps1 =

| youthgoals1 =

| clubs1 = Air India

| years1 =

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| clubs2 = Maratha Warriors

| years2 =

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| clubs3 = Indian Oil

| years3 = 2002–2008

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| clubs4 = HTC Stuttgarter Kickers

| years4 = 2007

| caps4 =

| goals4 =

| clubs5 = Mumbai Marines

| years5 = 2012

| caps5 =

| goals5 =

| nationalteam1 = India

| nationalyears1 = 2002–2008

| nationalcaps1 = 180

| nationalgoals1 =

| turnedpro =

| coach =

| retired =

| coaching =

|medaltemplates={{MedalSport | Men's field hockey}}

{{MedalCountry | {{fhm|IND}} }}

}}

Viren Wilfred Rasquinha (born 13 September 1980) is an Indian former field hockey player and captain of the Indian national team. He was a member of the team that competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He quit international hockey in 2008 to pursue management studies at the age of 28.

Early life

Rasquinha was born in 1980 to Eric and Merlyn Rasquinha. He studied at St. Stanislaus High School in Bandra, Mumbai,{{cite web|url=http://mangalorean.com/circle/browsearticles.php?arttype=star&profileid=10|title=Viren Rasquinha Interview|access-date=2007-06-12}} then graduated with a B.Com from MMK College in Bandra. His father was an engineer, his mother, a doctor at the Bombay Municipal Corporation, and his brothers are engineers.{{Cite web |last=Rasquinha |first=Viren |date=2020-05-10 |title=Mother's Day {{!}} Having a doctor at home helped: Viren Rasquinha |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/hockey/international-mothers-day-2020-viren-rasquinha-indian-hockey-news-mom/article31538140.ece |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Sportstar |language=en}}

Hockey career

Rasquinha made his junior international debut in 1999, and was part of the team that won the 2001 Junior World Cup in Hobart, Australia.

He made his senior international debut as a midfielder in May 2002, at a Four Nation Tournament in Adelaide. He won a silver medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, gold medals at the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur and the Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad in 2003. He was part of the Olympic team which finished seventh in Athens in the 2004 Olympic Games.{{Cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/hockey/top-stories/No-realistic-hope-of-Olympic-medal-in-hockey-Viren-Rasquinha/articleshow/52780319.cms?from=mdr|title=No realistic hope for medal at Olympics|work=timesofindia.indiatimes.com|publisher= The Times of India |date=2016-06-16}}{{Cite news | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/it-takes-6-grams-of-gold-to-lift-a-nation-iima-students-get-leadership-lessons-from-hockey-champ/story-b56ilOh7szMj5qh4PkPxuJ.html|title=IIM-A students get lessons from hockey champ|work=hindustantimes.com|date=2017-11-29}} He led the Indian Hockey team for the first time in the bilateral series against Pakistan in 2004. He was also captain of the Premier Hockey League team Maratha Warriors, and played for Tata Sports, Air India, and the Indian Oil Corporation, as well as 180 international matches. Rasquinha announced his retirement from hockey on 15 January 2008 at the age of 28, to pursue his studies.{{cite news |title= Viren Rasquinha on his retirement at 28 |url= http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/the-end-of-an-innings/article4252640.ece |work= The Hindu |date= 2012-12-29 |access-date= 2013-01-13}}

He said he was extremely disappointed with the sorry state of affairs of the national sports. {{Cite web |date=2023-01-12 |title='Extremely Disappointed' Ex-IND Captain Exposes Sorry State Of Affairs Of Our National Sport |url=https://www.mensxp.com/sports/other-sports/126715-hockey-world-cup-ex-india-captain-viren-rasquinha-lack-of-coverage.html |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=www.mensxp.com |language=en-IN}}

Business career

After retiring from hockey, Rasquinha studied for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/cover-story/young-indian-business-leaders-viren-rasquinha/story/15084.html|title=Olympian Quest|work=businesstoday.in|date=30 April 2011 }} After completion of his MBA, he joined Olympic Gold Quest in 2009, and is now its CEO.{{Cite web|url=http://www.olympicgoldquest.in/management-team.html|title=OLympic Gold Quest Management Team}}

Along with Pullela Gopichand and Abhinav Bindra, he was a member of the PMO Task Force after the 2016 Rio Olympics that prepared India's plans for the Olympic Games in 2020, 2024 and 2028. Their report was submitted to the PMO on 12 August 2017.{{Cite news | url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/in-other-news/300117/pullela-gopichand-abhinav-bindra-viren-rasquinha-in-task-force-for-next-3-olympics.html|title=Rasquinha in task force|work=Deccan Chronicle|date=2017-01-30}}{{Cite news | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/olympic-task-force-recommends-steps-to-improve-sports-in-india-4793854/ |title=Olympic Task force recommends |work=indianexpress.com|date=2021-02-25}}

Rasquinha was named as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" leaders in India for 2017-18 by the Economic Times.{{cite news |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/fortyunderforty.cms |title=India's business leaders 2017|publisher= The Economic Times}}

Personal life

Rasquinha got married in 2013 to Smitha Nair.

Honours

2004, Shiv Chhatrapati Award from the Government of Maharashtra.
2005, Arjuna Award for Best Sportsman of the Year in Hockey.

References

=General=

[http://wealth.moneycontrol.com/printpage.php?id=8491 Official MoneyControl website Interview]
[http://www.isb.edu/PGP/Viren_Rasquinha.Shtml Official ISB website Interview]
[http://www.rediff.com/cms/print.jsp?docpath=/sports/2008/jan/15hock.htm Rediff website Interview]