KUALA LUMPUR: Despite receiving the devastating news of his father's death today, national hockey player Azimuddin Syakir Kamaruddin is determined to continue playing in the ongoing Nations Cup in Poland.
This was confirmed by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), who notified Azimuddin of the death of his father, Kamaruddin Misman, in Kluang, Johor this morning.
The MHC said Azimuddin decided to continue playing for the national team in Poland as it would take him up to 30 hours to return to Malaysia, adding that the player and his family have agreed to it.
"(MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, the MHC Executive Board members and staff would like to express their condolences to Azimuddin on the demise of his beloved father, Kamaruddin Misman, early this morning in Kluang, Johor.
"The late Kamaruddin, better known as Wak Din in the national sports arena, was the Johor state youth head coach under the National Hockey Development Programme (NHDP) from 2019 until his demise," the MHC said.
According to the MHC, Kamaruddin was the assistant coach for the national women's indoor hockey team who emerged as champions in the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
The Nations Cup began on Friday (May 31) and ends on Sunday (June 9).
In the May 31-June 9 Nations Cup competition, the Malaysian team, also known as the Speedy Tigers, began their Group B campaign with a 4-4 draw with Pakistan before going down 3-1 to France yesterday.
The Speedy Tigers will wrap up their group fixtures against Canada tomorrow.
The tournament features two groups, with five teams in Group A (New Zealand, Poland, Austria, South Africa and South Korea) while Group B comprises four teams.
The third and fourth-placed teams from each group will play in the fifth-eighth classification matches. The semi-finals will be on Saturday (June 8) and the final on Sunday (June 9).
The Nations Cup winner will get to compete in the FIH Hockey Pro League.