MHC PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS LEARNING POINTS FROM SOJC 2024 PERFORMANCE

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) 2024 International Hockey Championship, held recently, served as a valuable exposure opportunity for young national players, says Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal.

He said it was MHC’s intention for the tournament to be of high quality, offering meaningful value and experience to the national junior team.

“If our focus was only on winning SOJC, we wouldn’t invite Australia and New Zealand; we’d invite other regional teams so that we’d win SOJC every year. But that’s not what we want; we want a value-driven tournament,” he said at the 2024 Mirnawan Cup Championship press conference here today.

Subahan said that Germany and the Netherlands were also among the countries that had applied to participate in SOJC 2024.

“However, after discussions between MHC’s coaching team and the Johor Hockey Association, we felt these selected teams would provide the best exposure for our players.

“If we were to play overseas, it would be costly, and we wouldn’t be able to afford it. So, with the Johor Hockey Association organising SOJC, it’s been a huge help. But the main goal is to provide exposure for the young players—win or lose, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

However, Subahan acknowledged that the campaign had revealed many weaknesses within the national squad.

“We saw numerous weaknesses in this SOJC tournament; I won’t deny that. There are plenty of areas that require immediate improvement. I’m not concerned about rankings or not winning the cup; my concern lies in addressing these weaknesses,” he said.

The national junior hockey team finished in last place at SOJC 2024 after losing 5-2 in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw with Japan in the fifth and sixth place decider at the Johor Hockey Stadium, Johor Bahru, on Saturday.

The six-nation tournament, which began on Oct 19, saw the Young Tigers fail to win any of their matches.

Meanwhile, Subahan announced that the 2024 Mirnawan Cup, scheduled to take place at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Nov 3 to 9, would feature four national teams and 10 international teams.

The men’s Under-17 (U-17) category will feature Malaysia Speedy, Malaysia Tigers, South Africa, Canada, Austria, South Korea, and Queensland, while the women’s category will see participation from Malaysia Speedy, Malaysia Tigers, South Africa, Japan, Austria, South Korea, and Queensland.

-- BERNAMA