KUALA LUMPUR – Are the men in green coming? With the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup starting in a week, Pakistan and South Africa’s participation is uncertain.
Both teams have yet to notify the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) of their arrival dates.
MHC vice-president and tournament chairman Datuk Seri Anil Jeet Singh believes that both teams may be preparing for their trip to Malaysia and will not withdraw from the tournament.
“There are a total of 16 teams competing in the World Cup. Chile was the first to arrive on November 25, and Australia will arrive in Malaysia tomorrow.
“Belgium, Argentina, and the Netherlands will arrive on November 29, while the rest of the countries, including France, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand, are expected to arrive by November 30.
“In the case of Pakistan and South Africa, they have shown their commitment to participating in the tournament. The FIH has already posted the fixtures on their website, and promotions have been made on various platforms confirming their participation.
“We are just waiting to receive their travel details for the tournament, but I strongly believe that both of these teams will arrive by November 30 and participate in this tournament,” Anil said during a press conference at the National Hockey Stadium today.
Meanwhile, Anil added that the national hockey stadium is well-equipped and ready to host the World Cup in Malaysia for the first time without any hiccups.
“We at MHC are proud to say that we are 95% ready for the World Cup. We have prepared the necessities for the teams, such as the players’ dressing room, media centre, and training facilities. All that remains is to add more LED lights to our stadium, which we intend to complete within the next few days.
“Chile has started training on our second turf, and our national team will also be training on the same turf. Once we are done upgrading the LED lights, the other teams will be able to train on our main turf,” Anil added.
The National Hockey Stadium, with a seating capacity of 12,000, was built in 1997 for the 16th Commonwealth Games and is equipped to host international hockey events.
Aside from the Commonwealth Games, the stadium has also hosted several prestigious international events, such as the 2001 Men’s Champions Challenge, 2002 Men’s World Cup, 2007 Men’s Champions Trophy, 2017 Southeast Asian Games, and the 2019 FIH Series Finals.
The 13th edition of the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur from December 5 to 16.
Malaysia is placed in Pool A alongside defending champions Argentina, Australia, and Chile.
The opening match of the tournament will be between France and Egypt in Pool B on December 5, while the Junior Speedy Tigers will begin their campaign against Chile on the same day.
Malaysia’s best performance in the tournament came in the 2013 edition in New Delhi, India, where they finished fourth out of 16 teams. – November 27, 2023