THE Seventh Edition of Sultan of Johor Cup on Oct 22-29 received a RM1.89 million sponsorship pledge in cash and kind yesterday.
In hand to receive the sponsorship was Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
The tournament received another boost as reigning world junior champion India will make a return after sitting out the Sixth Edition.
India will be joined by defending champions Australia, 2015 champions Britain, crowd favourites Japan and debutants United States of America at the Taman Daya Stadium.
Malaysia, who finished fifth last year, will face an uphill battle again.
“We anticipate a keenly fought tournament this time around and hope that the fans will take this opportunity to watch budding youngsters of the hockey world in action,” said Johor HA President Datuk Jais Sarday.
“This tournament is a much sought after event and although many more countries were keen, we want to keep the number at six teams.”
Leading the contributors was the Johor State Government with RM500,000, official broadcaster RTM with RM200,000, and Astaka Padu Sdn Bhd with RM200,000.
Other sponsors are Yayasan Harmoni (RM100,000), Genting Berhad (RM100,000), UM Land (RM100,000), Johor Corporation (RM100,000), JBB Builders (M) Sdn Bhd (RM 100,000), Tenaga Nasional Berhad (RM100,000), SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd (RM50,000), SP Setia (RM 100,000) Global Tobacco Manufacturers (International) Sdn Bhd (RM40,000),
Iskandar Waterfront Sdn Bhd (RM50,000), Berjaya Times Square (RM50,000) and Kumpulan BCB Berhad (RM50,000).
“We are thankful to all the sponsors who have stepped forward to help us finance the tournament,” added Datuk Jais.
Two others, Kukreja Sdn Bhd and 100 Plus contributed attire and prizes for special awards as well as refreshments for the tournament.
Several teams are expected to arrive in Johor Baru early with Britain, Australia, Japan and Malaysia setting camp on Oct 17.
All the matches will be telecast live by RTM and will also be available on live streaming.
In terms of title distribution, India won twice (2013,2014), Malaysia (2011), Germany (2012), Britain (2015) and Australia (2016).
