HANGZHOU – After training in Kuala Lumpur’s sweltering temperatures of over 33 degrees Celsius, the national hockey team did not anticipate that the weather during the Asian Games would be rainy and 10 degrees Celsius cooler.
According to earlier forecasts, the temperature was expected to be similar to that of Malaysia or slightly lower, but it was not expected to fall to 20 degrees Celsius before the end of September.
According to head coach A. Arulselvaraj, the weather is ideal for hockey, a highly competitive outdoor endurance sport.
However, following the Speedy Tigers’ training session at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium here, Arulselvaraj expressed concern about the possibility of waterlogging if too much water was sprinkled onto the pitch.
“This kind of weather is very nice for hockey… but I think if it rains and they sprinkle a lot of water, the pitch will become heavy and waterlogged.
“I told the team manager (Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi) to speak with the tournament director. If it is raining and the sun is not out, we should reduce the amount of water used,” he said.
Concerning tomorrow morning’s Group B opener against Thailand, the national 2022 Male Coach of the Year said that the Speedy Tigers have planned how to counter the world number 54 team’s strategies.
On paper, the world number 10 and previous edition runners-up Malaysia should tame the Thais easily.
“Usually, jitters occur in the first game of any tournament. But I believe the boys are fine; they enjoyed the atmosphere, and I hope they enjoy the game and tournament.
“We already expected how Thailand might come up, and we have planned what we should do to counter that, and of course, one goal at a time.
“We are expected to beat Thailand, but I can’t be putting pressure on players to keep scoring goals. However, the end results (winning) are important,” he said.
After facing Thailand, the Speedy Tigers are set to play against Oman on September 26, Indonesia (September 28), South Korea (September 30), and host China (October 2) to complete the group level, with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals.
At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, Malaysia were the favourites in the final against Japan but missed the gold medal after a 1-3 penalty shootout, following a 6-6 tie. – September 23, 2023