KUALA LUMPUR: There are three paid National Sports Institute (NSI) staff helping the Malaysian hockey team for the Junior Asia Cup on May 23-June 1 in Oman.
NSI's policy which started in 2019, that they be paid for their services, has put many sports in a tight situation.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal has said his juniors need more financial help, as well as expertise, from the National Sports Council (NSC) and NSI to prepare a strong team for the Junior World Cup (JWC) in Kuala Lumpur in December.
However, MHC has had to work on a shoestring budget as NSC and NSI's help has only been trickling in so far.
For the Oman mission, MHC has to pay for NSI's medical officer, masseur and analysis services, while funding from the NSC is scarce.
NSI CEO Ahmad Faedzal Ramli said: "Our service policy is determined by NSC's decision to include any athlete (team) under their programme.
"As of now, the junior hockey team are not under the NSC programme, hence we cannot provide 'free of charge' services as what we currently provide to the senior team, which is under the NSC programme.
"As MHC has agreed to fund the performance services provided by NSI in preparation for the Junior Asia Cup and World Cup, we are committed to deliver our service professionally.
"If NSC decides to include the junior hockey team under their programme, NSI will then provide the necessary support to the team free of charge," said Faedzal.
The juniors, who will represent Malaysia in the JWC in December, need to play more matches overseas as well as have better help from NSI in their quest to reach the semi-finals on home soil.
All it takes is a "temporary"
change of policy from NSC to place the juniors under its care until the JWC is over, so that funds, as well as expert help, can start coming in.
But if NSC sticks to its strict policy, then it has no reason to complain if hockey, or any other sports, fail at the big stage while representing the country.