KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has requested additional funding from the Youth and Sports Ministry in order to advance hockey in Malaysia.
MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said the association has worked diligently to secure funding from the private sector over the years to improve the team’s performance.
“We are thankful to the Youth and Sports Ministry for their support over the years, but their funds are no longer sufficient due to the high number of active sports in our country.
“That is why MHC has taken the initiative to seek additional funding to organise our tournaments and enhance our ecosystem’s support.
“We are not complaining about the ministry, but that’s the reality. We cannot progress in this sport if we rely too heavily on their funds, the National Sports Council (NSC) and National Sports Institute facilities.
“MHC requires more funds to support our coaches, athletes’ needs, specialist coaches, and our sports science team,” said Subahan.
Subahan said that the NSC should consider the progress of the women’s hockey team instead of solely focusing on results.
“Our women’s team has recently departed for China for the Asian Games, and the NSC did not provide us with any funding.
“We are not saying that is wrong, but it is challenging for us because they have set a goal for the women’s team to finish on the podium.
“NSC should give more importance to our progress than just results. In the past, we used to be defeated with scores like 10-0 and 12-0 against India and South Korea, but now we can see a vast difference; we recently only lost 2-1 against India, which is indeed progress in my opinion.
“MHC has a six-year plan for the women’s team that began this year. We don’t plan to reach the podium in this year’s games, but we aim to achieve it in the next Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan,” added Subahan.
Malaysia’s women’s team is currently ranked 19th in the FIH world rankings with 1426.25 points.
Their best finish in the Asian Games came in the 1982 edition in New Delhi, where they won a bronze medal.
The Speedy Tigress will begin their campaign against Hong Kong and will be in the same group as India, Singapore, and South Korea in Pool A. – September 22, 2023