KUALA LUMPUR – The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) has confirmed that the national men’s and women’s five-a-side hockey (hockey 5s) teams will be able to compete in next year’s Bangkok SEA Games.
The council’s response follows the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) expressing concerns about their teams’ ability to compete in the multisport event – emphasising the need for preparation to secure a gold medal for Malaysia.
MHC previously secured a special allocation of RM2 million from the Finance Ministry to develop its hockey 5s teams over the next five years.
It was reported that the Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has requested an allocation of RM3.9 million from the Finance Ministry to develop the hockey 5s team over five years after their historic performance in the inaugural International Hockey Federation (FIH) Men’s Hockey 5s World Cup, held in Oman in February.
Speaking to Scoop, OCM secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Najib said that aside from hockey 5s, all other hockey events will also be included in next year’s SEA Games.
“We will be having hockey 5s in Bangkok next year, as we have already received confirmation from the Bangkok SEA Games Federation.
“Aside from hockey 5s, we will also have other hockey-related events such as field hockey and indoor hockey.
“I believe that the inclusion of hockey 5s will be a great addition for our country, as it’s a sport that could contribute a medal for Malaysia at the SEA Games.
“On top of that, it will be great for the men’s and women’s teams as well, as they will be able to get more tournament exposure,” said Nazifuddin when contacted.
The national men’s and women’s hockey 5s teams have so far received invitations to play in invitational tournaments in Russia (August 15 to 20) and Thailand (November 25 to 30).
Under the guidance of coach Wallace Tan, the Malaysian men’s team finished as silver medalists, succumbing to a 2-5 defeat against the Netherlands in the final, while the women’s team secured a commendable sixth-place finish.
The national men’s hockey 5s team currently ranked number two in the world with 1,400.00 points, while the women’s team ranks number six with 1,250 points. – June 25, 2024