KUALA LUMPUR: Let's make indoor hockey a regular sport in Malaysia.
That was the plea from national coach Rodhanizam Mat Radzi as Malaysia seek to dominate indoor hockey in the biennial Sea Games.
The Malaysian men's and women's teams are not only good for gold at the Phnom Penh Sea Games in May, but they have also proven themselves at the Asian level and have a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup.
"Indoor hockey made a late entry into the Sea Games (2017 KL) but still, Malaysian men and women have been delivering handsomely despite little exposure and training.
"The NSC (National Sports Council) and MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) are working to make it a regular fixture, and we also need more overseas exposure to stop the advancement of Thailand and Indonesia in indoor hockey," said Rodhanizam.
In 2017, the Malaysian men won gold and the women were bronze medallists behind Thailand and Indonesia. In Manila 2019, Malaysia swept both the gold medals.
"Even though we have had very little training for Phnom Penh, our target is still gold for both the men's and women's teams. We (men and women) will be going to Perth on April 9 to play six matches each with Australian clubs, and I believe it should be enough to claim both gold medals.
"But we need to look ahead to the Asia Cup, which is a World Cup qualifier, so that we do not lag behind Indonesia and Thailand.
"For that to happen, NSC and MHC need to turn indoor hockey into a regular and not seasonal sport which only comes to life just before the Sea Games as well as Asia Cup," said Rodhanizam.
In the 2022 Asia Cup, the Malaysian men held eight-time champions Iran to a 4-4 draw before beating them 3-2 in a shootout. But it was not a World Cup qualifier as Covid-19 had disrupted the fixtures.
The Malaysian women were bronze medallists at the last Asia Cup behind Thailand and Indonesia, who won gold and silver respectively.
"With a little push in the right direction, both the Malaysian men and women can qualify for their maiden Indoor World Cups.
"That's why the sport needs to be turned into a full-time fixture on the MHC calendar," said Rodhanizam.