Games gold nothing to shout about

25/12/2001

CAN a Sea Games gold be considered as success for the hockey squad?
We will be the laughing stock of the world if we decide to gloat on the
Kuala Lumpur Sea Games gold because Malaysia have regularly seen action at
the World Cup and Olympics level.
So, while millions of ringgit have been pumped into hockey, for
tournaments and overseas Test and friendly matches, the year 2001 can be
considered as a big flop.
And some see it as a bad omen leading to the 2002 Kuala Lumpur World Cup
on Feb 24-Mar 9.
The most humiliating moment for the fans was when Malaysia finished
bottom of the table in the Azlan Shah Cup in August.
Malaysia were so pathetic that the fans just refused to travel to the
stadium and watch them play and although it was a star-studded tournament,
the stands remained empty.
The Azlan Shah Cup failed to draw crowds despite the presence of six of
the top seven teams in the world.
No one will argue about the quality of performance by the teams, except
for Malaysia, with big names like Sohail Abbas and Oliver Domke. Still,
hockey fans in the country preferred to stay away.
Except for the first weekend which featured the Malaysia-India and
India- Pakistan matches, the other fixtures, including the exciting final
involving Germany and South Korea, received lukewarm response.
At the recent Champions Challenge, it was the same story. Malaysia
started well by winning three matches against Japan, Belgium and India,
but lost their remaining matches against Argentina, twice, and South
Africa to finish fourth.
The fans, numbering around 200, except for the Malaysia-India match
where around 5,000 turned up, stayed away from the National Hockey Stadium
in Bukit Jalil again even though good hockey was played in the Challenge
and the tickets were only priced at RM3 and RM5.
Money does not matter when the team is doing well, but the fans have
been disappointed on so many occassions, that they simply refuse to
support the team and don't be surprised if the stands remain empty even if
the Malaysia Hockey Federation (MHF) decides to open the gates for the
Six-Nation in January involving the likes of Australia, New Zealand,
Pakistan and defending World Cup champions Holland.
Just when everyone thought that the under-18 team, hastily assembled for
the Asian Youth Hockey tournament, sank to an all-time low by losing to
Uzbekistan in the semifinals, the national juniors decided to go one-up by
playing like novices in the Junior World Cup in Hobart, Tasmania in
October.
Our future was on display at both the Asian Youth and the Junior World
Cup, and while not many expected them to do well in both the tournaments,
a bigger number did not expect them to land flat on their faces - on both
occassions.
In the under-18 Asian Youth tournament, Uzbekistan with no previous
experience playing on artificial turf, beat favourites South Korea and
held Bangladesh to a draw in their run to the final.
The squad, which is made up entirely of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Sports College students from the State of Andijon, came into the
tournament with zero expectations, and only one set of jerseys, but went
home feeling like champions.
The team is more accustomed to playing on an 18-year-old bumpy and
grassless pitch at their college but hit the ground running when unleashed
at the Azlan Shah Stadium's astroturf pitch in Ipoh.
Uzbekistan humiliated Malaysia in the semis when they won 4-2 on
penalties as the match was tied 2-2 after regulation time.
It does not matter thet Uzbekistan were hammered by India in the final,
they still celebrated like champions, and they deserve heavy praise for
putting up a spirited display while Malaysia, pampered with state-of-the-
art training facilities at their doorstep, had to bury their faces in the
sand like an ostrich.
In the Junior World Cup, yet again the future of hockey in Malaysia took
a severe beating when they finished 12th in the 16 team tournament.
Ireland, Scotland, Chile and Canada were the teams which finished below
Malaysia in the Junior World Cup while the Indian juniors notched another
milestone in their comeback into mainstream hockey by clinching the gold.
So, undoubtedly, Malaysia were the whipping boys in the year 2001 and,
many feel, that if they were not the hosts of the 2002 World Cup, Malaysia
would not have qualified for the prestigious tournament.
But all is not lost yet, they have shown that they can win three matches
in a row in the Champions Challenge, and must now show the world in
February that they are not destined to be the whipping boys in hockey for
the next 10 years because the rest of the world's juniors are miles ahead.
India's juniors, for one, had a good year because they won the under-18
Asian Cup, the Junior World Cup and ended the year by being promoted into
the elite Champions Trophy.
On Jan 18, when the Six-Nation begins, we can only keep our fingers
crossed and hope that Malaysia will make a resounding comeback.
If not, the World Cup will be another feather in Malaysia's
organisational capabilities, while the Sea Games gold will become their
performance yardstick.
jugjet@nstp.com.my
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