MALAYSIA LOSE OUT ON HOST jOB TO JAPAN AND INDIA

MHF had high expectations that they will be given the chance to host the 2012 London Olympics Qualifiers but lost the bid as FIH awarded the host job to Japan and India with the third venue yet to be decided.

18 teams will play in 3 qualifiers and Malaysia could get an opportunity to play host should India win gold at the Asian Games next week.

However if India fails, then there is a possibility that Malaysia could well be playing in the third qualifier that may well be held in an European country or even in South America.

Meanwhile The Netherlands will be the host nation for the Men’s and Women’s FIH World Cups in 2014.

The decision was confirmed by the Executive Board and announced on Thursday evening at a special ceremony at the FIH Congress and Forum in Montreux, Switzerland.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision to make”, said FIH President Leandro Negre shortly after revealing the winner.

“The bids from The KNHB and England Hockey were both outstanding, two of the best that we have ever seen. It was a very close decision, but we offer our congratulations to The Netherlands, who we are sure will stage an unforgettable double World Cup event.

England Hockey's bid has reinforced their importance as a partner for future FIH events, and we are keen to maximise the use of London 2012's legacy facility.”

The Men’s and Women’s FIH World Cup will take place in The Hague between 2 – 15 June 2014.

The FIH revealed the tournament cycle for the next four years. The following tournament allocations are proposed, subject to finalizing the contractual arrangements.


Tournaments 2011-2014.

2011

FIH Indoor World Cup – Poland, 8-13 February.

FIH Women’s Champions Trophy, The Netherlands, 25 June-3 July

FIH Men’s Champions Trophy – India, 26th November-4th December.

FIH Women’s Champions Challenge 1 – Ireland, 18/19 – 25/26 June

FIH Men’s Champions Challenge 1 – South Africa, Dates TBC

FIH Women’s Champions Challenge 2 – Austria, 8-14 May

FIH Men’s Champions Challenge 2 – France, 3-9 July

2012

FIH Olympic Qualifiers: Azerbaijan (W) TBC / Japan (M&W) – 25 April – 6 May / India (M&W) – February / Final Men’s Qualifier location and date TBD.

World Series Rounds 1 & 2 – TBC

FIH Women’s Champions Trophy – Argentina, February

FIH Men’s Champions Trophy – Australia, June

Olympic Test Event – London, 2-6 May

London 2012 Olympic Games – 27 July – 12 August

2013

World Series Round 3: Pakistan (M) – February / Germany (M) – June / Netherlands (W) – June / China (W) – June

World Series Round 4: India (M) – 8-15 September / Argentina (W) – December

Junior World Cup (M&W) - India, 2-17 November 2013

2014

World Series Round 1 – Details TBC

FIH Men’s Champions Trophy – Argentina, February

FIH Women’s Champions Trophy – India, February

FIH Champions Challenge 1 – TBC

FIH Champions Challenge 2 – TBC

FIH Men’s & Women’s World Cup – The Netherlands, 2-15 June

World Series Round 2 – TBC

Youth Olympic Games – China, 16-28 August 2014.

2015

FIH Indoor World Cup – Germany, 3-8 February

LONDON OLYMPICS QUALIFYING SYSTEM

Likely qualification system: 
 

• Host nation automatically qualifies        

• Eight teams qualify through the continental championships including winners from Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and America.

• Three further teams according to the above results taken from world rankings Three further tournaments are arranged and in the last Olympic cycle took play in the nine months running up to the start. Eighteen nations play and they are selected fom the world rankings order.

IS MHF AWARE?

A row is brewing over a qualifying system for the London Olympics which critics claim is biased towards the sport's traditional power base.

Leading non-European nations, including Australia, New Zealand, United States and Canada, have become aware of a loophole in the Olympic qualifying system which will allow Europe to claim an extra quota place in both men's and women's competition at the 2012 Games, at the expense of the other regions.

The flaw in the criteria, which applied for the Beijing Olympics, has emerged because England (Britain at the Olympics) qualifies automatically as the host nation, but can also earn a quota place for Europe as one of the top nations on the rankings.

Hockey Australia has expressed its concern to the International Hockey Federation, while the Australian Olympic Committee has contacted the International Olympic Committee to bring the anomaly to its attention.

"We are asking the FIH to consider the continental rules and whether inequities do exist there," HA executive director Mark Anderson said.

AOC sports director Fiona de Jong said Australia had "engaged the support of other countries" to push for the rules to be amended.

"It's not just in the context of London. Any other country could be affected by the host nation status. Next time Europe could miss out, so they should fix it for the right reasons," de Jong said.

"The qualification system is supposed to be fair. You shouldn't be able to double-dip from Europe or anywhere else. It will [have an] impact on the quality of the Olympic tournament because you will not have the best nations there."

The current system, used for the Beijing Olympics, allocates the 12 places (each for men's and women's competition) along the following lines:

The host nation receives one place, eight places are allocated through the five continental championships (one place each, plus three extra quota places allocated according to the world rankings), and three places go to the winners of three Olympic qualification tournaments.

If the same system is in place for the London Olympics, England will qualify as host nation but the European federation will also use its high ranking (fourth in the men's, fifth in the women's) to claim an extra quota place for its continental championship. 

That would see Europe receive four quota places at the continental championships -- based on world rankings of second (Germany) third (The Netherlands), fourth (England) and fifth (Spain) -- leaving the other continents with one place each.

TIME TO DELIVER

Since Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had in his speech during the MHF BGM last Sunday requested for fresh impetus and ideas towards improving hockey, and due to lack of access to HRH, this blog will attempt to put forward suggestions and hopefully someone within Tuanku's office or MHF will print this out for him to read.

HRH Prince Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah
President
Malaysian Hockey Federation.

Ampun Tengku,

I write this as a concerned Malaysian who sincerely believes that while the sport can prosper under your stewardship it needs dedicated soldiers to carry out your dream of seeing it regain its past glory.
   

The problem with MHF is the lack new ideas and the will to surmount the obvious obstacles which have impeded the development of the sport. We languish behind other nations simply because we have not kept up with the changes in the way the game has to be administered.
   

We capitulate too easily in the face of adversity instead of meeting the challanges head on. And challenges there are aplenty.
   

MHF can no longer be run on an ad-hoc basis with no long term planning or a proper Road Map of what needs to be done for the future. We not only need to be planning for the next 10 years but looking at ways to make hockey a premier sport again. One which has appeals to the masses and the sponsors.
   

Funding is a critical part of that blue print for we realistically cannot achieve our targets without the money to implement the plans. Simply put, we cannot have the one - development - without the other - funds.
   

HRH Tengku has managed to stem the decline and restored some semblance of order but moving forward will continue to be an issue unless we have a proper five-10-year plan for all stages of the game. From junior to senior to national level.
   

Like you said, the game apears to be stagnant. That is mainly because we have not mounted a proper business-like approach administering the sport. The only way to succeed is to lauch a major campaign to ensure that all levels of the game are in proper working order and in sync with your targets.
   

While the fortunes of the national team are a measure of success, we cannot neglect development or we will forever be looking at the past and not the present or the future.
  

The 1Mas programme may be good for the long term but immediate results are needed to ensure hockey remains relevant. Success breeds success and the game is in dire need of that to regain credibility.
  

It is insidious, but the fact is that the game has suffered because of its failures. The resulting drop in its appeal is only too apparent in the diminishing coverage given to hockey by the local media. 

 

Where the Razak Cup used to hog the back page, it is now a sad afterthought lacking the indepth coverge needed to stimulate the interest of the public.

 

Tuanku would have seen the lack of a media presence at the BGM which is a sad indictment of how much the game has fallen in their opinion. It is so sad to see the EPL taking precedence over local sports but that is the reality. 

 

Any planning for the future must seek to address this issue as well. For without the prime news coverage, hockey will never entice the sponsors part with their money.
   

So any road map for reviving hockey will have to take into account all these considerations which are all mutually inclusive. The catalyst is making the sport exciting again at all levels. Do that and everything will fall into place. You will rekindle interest in the sport  and spark a lasting revival.
 

SOME POINTS TO PONDER:
 

The impetus has to be multi-pronged - revive interest in the game in the schools and the states while national team delivers.
  

As for high performance and meeting the target of playing in the 2012 London Olympics, after a lapse of 12 years, we have to plan for the qualifiers right now.
  

One way would be to send players on attachment programmes next year. This was done with success in 1997 for the 1998 Commonwealth Games where five players - S. Kuhan, Nor Azlan Bakar, Chairil, Anwar Abdul Aziz, R Shankar and Karpal Singh - played in the German league.
   

In terms of tournaments, we should revive the Tun Hussein Onn cup, last played in 1986, top four states from Razak Cup with top clubs in Asia. But priority must be given to adding that crucial element of excitement to these tournaments which have, over the years, become  lacklustre and unimaginative.
  

The MHF administration needs to be perked up. It is clearly lacking as evident from the annual report where some sub committee's reports were from the last AGM with the majority  still talking about 2009. Even results of the 2010 competitions were left out.
  

Need to keep up with the information revolution. This means setting up a viable website as soon as possible. This will help raise the game's profile which has been losing out to even some minor sports, which in turn has had negative impact on sponsorship.
  

In revamping the administration, we can use the tried and tested FAM system with proper departments to take care of competitions and national teams, given that development is a full time imperative.
  

MHF also need to improve their image internationally in terms of communications and or with other countries, especially FIH. MHF need someone with stature to be heard internationally.
  

Revive MHF's Flick magazine to keep everybody informed. The quarterly can be distributed to schools to uplift the image of the sport and help rekindle interest amongst young in the country.
  

These are just some of my thoughts on what can be done to revitalise hockey under your leadership. I know that I am seen as a blunt and abrasive critic but that is only because I, like many other fans, am frustrated at the direction our game has taken.
   

Changes by way of new concepts and inspiration are needed to move forward. The problem is not so much in the officials as the lack of fresh ideas. The same old tired and failed ways are the reason why there is a lack of progress. 

 

We need dynamic and progressive planning and implementation. There is so much you can do alone. Best of luck and it will be hockey's loss and football's gain should you decided to walk away from MHF someday.

Thank you. Ampun Tuanku

DARREN HOPES TO DELIVER

It was 15 years ago that UniKL coach Darren Smith made his debut for New Zealand. And ironically it was at the Tun Razak Stadium where he gained his first cap, against Spain in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Darren was 21 at that time and now it is here in Malaysia that he  techincally makes he debut as a coach of a men's team outside New Zealand. For Darren had coached the Belgium U16 girls team earlier this decade before being appointed as the assistant coach to Shane Mcleod.

"Malaysia is a country that I have pleasant memories as I have played some 60 international matches during my 15 visits here as a player," said Darren when met at the KLHA Stadium prior to putting the UniKL players through their paces in his second training stint after arriving last Friday.

"It is a new challenge for me and from what I have gathered, it is the likes of TNB, Sapura and KLHC that are the early favourites.

"It is an exciting proposition for me to be able to coach UniKL as I appreciate their confidence in me. And I aim to impart my knowledge to these players."

Darren said that the UniKL team had alredy secured the services of a German player and the New  Zealand keeper.

"We are in the midst of negotiating with two more players from New Zealand but there are several factors that need to be considered, like the positions we require players for<' said Darren.

Although Darren has quit his job as the High Performance Director for Midlands, he is still listed as their coach and has been given leave from his role as the asistant coach of the BlackSticks.

"I am grateful to the NZ Hockey Association for their understanding and will return to the national team once my term here ends," conceded Darren.

Darren takes over from I. Vikneswaran as coach and UniKL have retained former national fullback, K.Embaraj as the assistant coach.

Darren retired as the third highest capped player ever with 212 internationals, behind Simon Towns (217 games) and Umesh Parag (214). 

  

He rated the 7-1 win over Pakistan at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, playing at the Athens Olympics and the recent Changzhou qualifying tournament win as the highlights of his playing career.

However UniKL were dealt with a severe blow as their recent signing C.Baljit Singh made a U-turn and returned to his former club Tenaga Nasional Berhad.

And TNB did a number on UniKL by pinching the MHF-MILO-NSC Junior Hockey League top scorer Mohd Sabri.

REHAN TO PLAY IN MHL

Pakistan hockey player Rehan Butt has been offered to play in this year’s Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) granting him permission given that his schedule did not clash with his national duties.

“I was offered to play for one of the clubs in Malaysia,” Rehan toldThe Express Tribune. “But currently I’m in negotiations with the club and, in the meantime, I’ve discussed the offer with the federation as well and they did not object to it.”

MHL, a top league competition for field hockey, allows a maximum of three foreign players. But all the foreign players must obtain International Transfer Certificates (ITC) from their respective countries or clubs before signing up. Syed Imran Ali Warsi, Ali Raza, Mohammad Sarwar, Abdul Asim Khan, Yasir Islam and Sohail Abbas have played for various clubs in the MHL since 2005.

“The federation has allowed me to play in the league and I will certainly complete the rest of the formalities after competing in the Asian Games for Pakistan,” added Rehan. “Currently I don’t want to muddle myself up with any other commitment because my focus is on the Asian Games.”

MHF BGM

Results

Deputy : Nur Azmi

VP - Dato Che Khalib, Dato Rahim, Gobi, Manjit Majid

Keep following the site for updates on the MHF Election.

1130- Meeting commences

1135- Speech by Tengku Mahkota, President of MHF as below.

Admin - have always kept an eye and provided advice to improve administration. We have only five staff and not easy for such an organization and understrength.

13 management meetings and seven council meetings, met often enough. We were rated and 63 percent by OCM, and were rated A by the Sports Comm Office.

We have weakness with regards to the performance of national team, sadly we did not perform well but not that bad either. We are stagnant and need to do something.

Look in depth and give national team a chance. Am trying the best to beef up team and on learning curve. Have some ideas to improve team but need constructive ideas from affiliates.

With regards to the constitution that we need to improvise with obsolete clauses. I welcome views towards improving our constitution towards the betterment of the sport. Secretary and Treasurer appointed to avoid any conflict and avoid politics. The reason for the increase of term to four years is to meet key performance index, so we need to give this a try and see how it works.

Elections, many are keen and was surprised I was not challenged. Democracy is still alive within MHF.

We have to respect the views of writers and bloggers as they too have a view.

I want all the candidates to work together and do not want a split MHF as I can always exit if I find continued split within MHF.

Moving forward, on development we have the 1MAS program and hope it works well. Do not want it to be mere program and it should not fail. Will go to visit personally. The PM will launch it on December 13. This if done well we will get more corporate sponsors and we even are looking to outsource it.

Thank the PM and every ringgit spent is accountable and wisely spent on players and not officials. Thank Dato Zolkples the NSC DG for monitoring the program.

National team at Commonwealth did not do well. We approved the request by coaches to send full team. But against India it showed we can perform but after that we just went down. We need to improve and result was not acceptable and it's China we target now towards the road to Olympics. If we fail at Asian Games then we have to look at the qualifiers.

Not only are we looking at Nat Team, but I feel we should have two national teams and two junior teams. We lack a big base.

We have Nat Team, a 2013 team and another a 2017 team. We are short of quality players.

All other countries depend on younger players and Pakistan even had a 15 year old in New Delhi. Therefore 1 MAS must deliver.

The 2013 team have performed well and behave well as well.

As for 2017, we need to give them time and will provide exposure and will appoint a consultant for this. We will have a database and will be launched next year.

States will have to play a major role and not compete but complement the efforts of the national body.

Also wish to thank the Competition Committee for a job well done to carry out the various tournaments over the period in office.

We should target the title for the Azlan Shah Cup as it's the 20th edition.

As for finance, we will increase the prize money by 30 per cent in the next MHL so as to make it more prestigious.

We also increased the organizational cost for states playing hosts from RM25,000 to RM30,000. We are sensitive to needs of states.

An incentive scheme to organize the Under 18 league, we will provide RM3,000 to RM15,000 as a grant to encourage youth program to help develop more players.

We have until June 2010 paid off all our debtors totaling RM1.4 million and thank all those who have helped me.

We have a surplus at the moment if RM3.2 million including the RM2 million from the federal government, and maybe even NSC do not know.

The PM has set us a target to be in the top 10 and I have set that as our goal.

Personally I hope we will continue to improve.

Wish to thank the PM and all those who sponsored MHF and we pray they continue to do so in the coming years.

12.15- speech of President ends

12.20- minutes of last AGM, annual report, accounts are approved.

12.25- election of office bearers commences.

Tengku Abdullah opts not to vote in the elections so there will only be 36 votes to decide positions.

1245- Voting for Deputy Presidents position completed and Vice Presidents votes are being cast.