HWLR2 - You read it here first

With the official confirmation today, Tuesday, February 7, it is pertinent to note that Hockey followers read about the switch here first.

Canada and Msia to switch? Read http://malaysianhockey.blogspot.com/2017/02/malaysia-to-replace-canada.html

http://jugjet.blogspot.my/2017/02/bye-tnt-dhaka-here-we-come.html?m=1

Top nations for SOJC.

SOJC

Press Release

The seventh edition of the Sultan Johor Cup could well see a star studded field.

To be held at the Taman Daya Stadium from October 22 to October 29, the Organisers Johor Hockey Association are sparing no effort to get the participation of some of the top hockey nations.

Those invited are  Argentina, Great Britain, Germany, India and Australia. The sixth team is hosts Malaysia.

" We are extending invited to these teams as they had expressed interest in participating this year," said JHA Deputy President Dato Manjit Majid Abdullah.

" These are top teams and it will help boost the image of the tournament.

" We have also received interest from a few other countries but will keep our options open and invite others should any of these five decline."

Among the countries put on the reserve list are New Zealand, Japan, Pakistan and Egypt.

Dato Manjit said that they were also looking at other teams such as South Africa, Spain or Belgium for the tournament.

Should India accept the invite, they will be making a return after a years absence.

Australia are the defending champions and Malaysia as well as Great Britain have emerged as champions before as have India.

" We are also looking at holding some coaching seminars as well as clinics during the tournament," added Dato Manjit.

Malaysia to replace Canada?

With Canada withdrawing from the Round 2 of the World League scheduled to be held in Dhaka next month, there is a possibility that Malaysia may now replace Canada.

Canada withdrew from the tournament in security concerns and a decision needs to be made by FIH as to who will replace Canada.

Malaysia are scheduled to play in the Round 2 event in Trinidad & Tobago and should FIH switch Malaysia to replace Canada, it will be good as the teams in Dhaka are not that strong.

The Round 2 World League in Dhaka is scheduled from March 4 to 12.

Canada, who are 11th in the world, had been drawn along with Bangladesh, Oman and Fiji in one of two groups for the World League Round 2 event. China, Egypt, Ghana and Sri Lanka are in the second group.

The FIH (International Hockey Federation) has informed us that Canada will not participate in this tournament due to security concerns," the Bangladesh Hockey Federation's general secretary Abdus Sadequesaid

 

Ironically it will be interesting to see if Malaysia will go to Dhaka as they cited security concerns for not participating in the AHF Under 18 tournament last year in Dhaka.

Canada is the second country to pull out of a hockey tournament in Bangladesh since militants killed 22 people in an attack on a cafe in Dhaka last July. Most of the victims were foreigners.

Japan withdrew their team from the Under-18 Asia Cup in August on security ground as seven of their citizens were among the victims of the cafe attack.

Australia's cricket team also pulled out of a scheduled tour to Bangladesh in late 2015 over security fears.

England's cricket team did tour Bangladesh in October last year after the authorities accorded them security normally reserved for visiting heads of state.