PRESS RELEASE ON FIH
WORLD LEAGUE
BY HRH TENGKU
ABDULLAH SULTAN AHMAD SHAH
PRESIDENT, MALAYSIAN
HOCKEY CONFEDERATION
Malaysia has been awarded the hosting
rights for the Semi Final stage of the World League that offers six spots for
the 2014 World Cup to be held in Holland.
In revealing this, Malaysian Hockey
Confederation President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad said that the
International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed Malaysia as the host for the
tournament that will be held in Johor Baru from June 1-9.
"It is indeed an honor to play
host to this prestigious event that will not only feature top ranked teams but
also provide Malaysia an opportunity to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Holland,”
said Tengku Abdullah.
"I must record my appreciation to
the Johor State Government for graciously having consented to hold the event in
Johor Baru.
"There is no doubt that hockey has
a tremendous fan base in Johor and I am sure that the Malaysian team will
benefit from the support they will receive in their quest to make the World Cup
on merit for the first time since 1998."
The last time Malaysia played in the
World Cup was in 2002 when it was held in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia played in the 1998
World Cup in Holland after a hiatus of 16 years as prior to that India 1982 was
the last appearance for Malaysia.
There will be two Round 3 tournaments
with eight teams each. These tournaments will feature two pools of four teams
and will have placement games following the Round Robin. The second semi final
is to be held in Holland.
In the semis, the top eight teams from
the FIH rankings will join the qualifiers from the four second round
tournaments that are to be held in India, Brazil, France and Russia.
Tengku Abdullah said the opportunity to
host the Semi Finals arose when Germany who was the original hosts withdrew and
FIH approached Malaysia.
"A lot of thought was put into the
idea of playing host and after looking at the benefits that will avail to our
national team, we put in a bid, but only after getting the official nod from
Johor," said Tengku Abdullah.
"With this development Malaysia is
exempt from playing in Round Two in Russia in May and this provides us with a
perfect opportunity to try qualify for the World Cup."
National coach Paul Revington was
naturally happy with the turn of events and had this to say:
"Malaysian hockey has a very proud
history of successfully hosting FIH World Level events and it is no surprise
that the FIH has turned to the MHC to host the World League 3 Semi Final stage.
"The timing of this World Level
event also fits perfectly with the long-term MHC development drive to promote
the 1Mas, Project 2013 and 2017 teams as these youngsters need to see more
elite teams and players perform on Malaysian soil.
"This is obviously very exciting
news and an added bonus for our Senior Team too who will relish the challenge
and will aim to make full use of this opportunity.”
For National Team Manager George Koshy,
hosting the Semi Final stage meant that Malaysia would have two bites of the cherry,
as Malaysia will also host the Asia Cup that offers a single spot for the World
Cup.
"Malaysia having won the bid
provides us with an opportunity to make the cut for the World Cup not once but
twice on home soil! The strong home support will the impetus to accomplish this
fete, " said George.
