KUALA LUMPUR – The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) says it fully supports the Malaysian Hockey Confederation’s (MHC) decision to send its hockey five-series team to participate in next year’s Bangkok SEA Games.
Speaking to Scoop, OCM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said that MHC’s five-series team has the potential to win medals for the country, following its recent success in the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup, held in Oman.
Under the guidance of coach Wallace Tan, the Malaysian team made history by finishing as silver medalists, eventually falling 2-5 against the Netherlands in the final last week.
“OCM will have a meeting with the Bangkok SEA Games federation to consider the proposed sports to be played in the games next year.
“We would love to see the hockey five series included in the games as it can win us medals.
“Not only for the SEA Games, but we will also support MHC for their hockey fives and indoor hockey teams to be included in the Asian Games and possibly in the Olympics in the years to come,” said Norza.
Norza, who is also the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president, said that MHC should also try to convince other Southeast Asian hockey federations to ensure a guaranteed competition slot in the Bangkok SEA Games.
“OCM will discuss with MHC to ensure they convince other Asean hockey confederations to send their teams so that the five series tournament can be held in the multisport event in Bangkok.
“There should be at least three to four nations in the tournament because currently, there is not enough support from other countries.
“We have 11 countries in the Southeast Asian region, but only Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand played in the qualifiers for the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup.
“However, OCM’s support is definitely there for MHC if they are planning to send their team to the SEA Games,” Norza added.
Previously, Scoop reported that MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said that the five-series team has the potential to reach greater heights with additional funding from the government.
He added that the team would boost the Malaysian contingent in the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok for their chance of winning a gold medal there.
Subahan also said that MHC is in talks with the Youth and Sports Ministry to build a training venue for five series and indoor hockey to prepare for future tournaments.
Malaysia qualified for the FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup by finishing fourth out of 11 teams with 13 points in the Men’s Asian Hockey5s World Cup qualifiers in Oman last August.
Prior to their triumphant second-place finish, Malaysia battled against Oman, the United States, and Fiji in Group D. – February 8, 2024