Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, Malaysian Hockey Federation president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman with the sponsors of the Sultan of Johor Cup at yesterday’s launch. — Picture by Zulkarnain Ahmad TajuddinBy JJ Shah
THE state government's bid to turn Johor Baru into a sporting hub received a shot in the arm when the inaugural Sultan of Johor Cup was launched by Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at the Johor International Convention Centre yesterday.
It will become the second annual international tournament in Johor Baru, joining the five-year-old Iskandar Johor Open Golf which draws big names from the European and Asian tours.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Ghani Othman listed cricket as the next international event that could be held in Johor Baru.
The Sultan of Johor Cup received a tremendous boost with a total of RM1.25 million in sponsorship at the launch.
In this year's tournament, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Korea and hosts Malaysia will compete at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium on Nov 5-12. The tournament, held in conjunction with the Sultan of Johor's birthday celebrations, has been sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and will feature on its hockey calendar.
"Due to time constraint, it is a six-nation tournament this year but we hope to bring European teams in the coming years and probably increase the total to eight or more teams," said Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar launched the tournament.
A total of RM1.25 million was raised from various sponsors with the Johor State Government contributing RM500,000 while other major sponsors include Johor Corporation, Danga Bay, Genting Berhad, Sapura Holdings, Sports Ministry, Century Logistics, Malaysian Pacific Corporation, SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd, Central Malaysian Properties, BCB Berhad, UEM Land Holdings Berhad, Tenaga National and Titan Chemicals Corporation.
