Japan on a mission to win Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

KUALA LUMPUR: Japan have set themselves the lofty target of winning the May 4-11 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.

Japan team manager Takayasu Mizawa said although it would not be easy, he had reminded his men that it was not impossible either.

He said they had been preparing for the tournament since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with Japan finishing 11th at the world's biggest multi-games.

"This is a new team comprising experienced players and new faces. About 12 of them who took part in the Valencia Olympic Qualifiers are in this team and five others (players aged 18-20) will be making their senior team debut.

"Our target is to win the tournament but I am aware that it won't be easy to achieve that," he said in a statement shared by the tournament organisers today.

For the record, Japan finished fourth in the 2022 edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup after losing 5-3 to Pakistan in the third-placing playoff. That was the year Malaysia emerged champions by defeating South Korea 3-2 in the final.

In this year's edition, Japan will face Malaysia on May 8. --BERNAMA