LAURENCE DOCHERTY is on the verge of fulfilling his 10-year-old dream of winning an Olympic medal – preferably a gold one. Five years ago, the 28-year-old Edinburgh-born hockey midfielder renounced his British citizenship to pursue his ambition by going Dutch. And, three years after gaining his new passport, he has now been selected for the Netherlands squad which will compete in the Olympic tournament at Beijing.

Roeland Oltman's squad heads east on July 30, allowing themselves only a handful of days of acclimatisation before being plunged into the biggest hockey event on the planet.

And Docherty, who was brought into the Great Britain hockey set-up at the age of 18 but omitted from the squad for the Sydney Games in 2000, is determined to make the most of his opportunity this year.

"I'll be really disappointed if we don't make the final in Beijing," he said. "And I've had a really fantastic number of e-mails and texts from people in Scotland wishing me well – including some from a few 'bitter apples', for which I am grateful."

To those who still regard his 'defection' as heinous, Docherty is clear: "I never stated that GB are gash or that Scotland are gash. I would never say that. That's not why I did this. Don't forget, I never won a GB cap, although I played a few friendlies, and if I'd stayed British, I'd probably have gone to Athens.

"But it was always more than the Olympics. I wanted to play in all the global tournaments, including the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. I was always and still am passionate about the sport and want to compete at the very top level."

That passion, and a determined self-belief, sustained Docherty through the years of waiting for his Dutch citizenship to be approved. And then he had to prove to his new national coaches that he was up to the mark of the perennial world champions.

There were several disappointments along the way. Two years ago, after a bout of injury, he was left out of the Netherlands squad for the World Cup. Then he was passed over for the European Championships last year. But he finally made it into the Dutch team for the Champions Trophy.

"Lots of people have said to me that they can't believe I've stuck it out," he reflects. "But you make your choices, and you see them out. I'm generally a fit person, and there's no reason why I shouldn't still be playing when I'm 35."

And through it all, back in Edinburgh, he had constant support from his family – including his hockey-playing brother Richard, as well as his mother and his late father, who cannot now see him achieve his ambition.

"I have a lot of respect for their help, and I feel I'm paying back their belief in me. It's the same with all my coaches and friends from the early days, from whom I learned not just about hockey, but also the proper mental approach to top-level sport.

"In the end, though, it's just a game. The sport may change, and the politics around high performance in particular. But always, the team ethic is the most important factor."

Docherty spent a couple of years in the German Bundesliga and the English League before joining Klein Zwitzerland six years ago. But KZ were relegated in 2007, and he was invited to move to the Bloemendaal club, who have been the Dutch league champions for the past four years.

"They gave me security and support," says Docherty. "They have lots of Dutch internationals in the team and it was a great feeling to be wanted in that company."

Now, his focus is on the national squad's performance in Beijing, starting with their opening game against South Africa on August 11. That's followed, two days later, by the match against Great Britain, for whom goalkeeper Ali McGregor and Inverleith striker Stephen Dick will be the Scots lining up against Docherty's team.

"Both games will be tough," he says. "But that first game is really important. We've been training hard for the last three weeks, and I'm fitter than I've ever been.

"We may not be favourites for gold, but we're certainly in the top three. We are a strong group, and we played well in the Champions Trophy last year, when we tried out a couple of new things.

"This is the Olympics and everyone wants to win gold. It's the end-goal of what we've trained for. I'm going to enjoy this with as much enthusiasm as I can muster. But my head won't be in the clouds, and I'm not there to collect the signatures of other athletes."

For Docherty, you get the feeling that Beijing is not just a destination. It's his destiny.