KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) will not prioritise immediate wins to satisfy fan expectations. Instead, it is committed to arranging tougher fixtures to better equip the national teams for greater challenges ahead.
This stance comes in response to heavy criticism from fans over the recent poor performances of both senior and junior (under-21) national teams in tournaments like the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Nations Cup, Asian Champions Trophy, and Sultan of Johor Cup—all featuring some of the world’s top teams.
Despite the backlash, MHC remains committed to nurturing young talent and has invited top-ranked under-17 teams to the third edition of the Mirnawan Cup.
Named after Malaysia’s triple Olympian, Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi, this tournament will continue, albeit with only seven participating teams this year compared to twelve in the previous edition.
MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal emphasised that the tournament’s legacy will endure, serving as a crucial platform for nurturing emerging talent.
“In the face of challenges, our commitment to developing the next generation of hockey players remains unwavering.
“It would be easy for us to pursue immediate success by inviting lower-ranked teams to tournaments for easy wins, but that’s not the approach we’re taking.
“We’re focused on long-term success by providing these young players with the best exposure and preparing them for greater challenges,” he said.
Acknowledging budget limitations, Subahan said the MHC is exploring ways to secure more funding, including potential partnerships with corporations and sports enthusiasts who share the vision of fostering excellence in hockey.
“No challenge will stop us.; we’ll continue our efforts to secure a larger budget and hopefully invite more teams to participate in this tournament in the years to come.
“For now, we’re inviting teams to play in Malaysia due to budget constraints, but we’ll also work to send our teams abroad for exposure,” Subahan said during a press conference at the National Sports Council.
Subahan added that the Mirnawan Cup, an international invitational tournament for boys’ and girls’ under-17 teams, aims to give young players vital international experience by competiting against world-class teams.
“The Mirnawan Cup isn’t just about winning a trophy; it’s about exposure. I want these players to experience the intensity of international competition.
“Most of the Malaysian players are 16 years old and part of the National Hockey Development Programme.
“Since the Junior World Cup is now biennial, we have ample time to polish this talent so they can represent the country in the next two to four years,” he added.
The tournament, set to take place from November 3 to 9 at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium, will feature seven boys’ teams and seven girls’ teams.
In the boys’ category, Malaysia will field two teams: Malaysia Speedy and Malaysia Tigers. The other teams are South Africa, Canada, Austria, South Korea, and Queensland, Australia.
The girls’ category will feature Malaysia Speedy, Malaysia Tigers, South Africa, Japan, Austria, South Korea, and Queensland, Australia. — October 28, 2024