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By S.S. Dhaliwal (pic).
IT’S high time countries from Asia tell FIH to go fly kites.
The money for hockey is in Asia with Pakistan and India the cash cows in terms of TV rights.
Yet the FIH pay scant respect to Asia as evident in the quota system released for the 2012 London Olympics.
Out of 12 places available, one goes to the host country, five to the continental champions and three to ranking of FIH.
So if Great Britain wins the Euro Championships, mind you they play as England there, then there will be another three places for Europe.
And here is where it gets more ridiculous , the champion of Oceania and the runner-up are given places in London. Just how many teams from Oceania are in the top 20 world rankings.
For the Asians, who have South Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and Japan in the top 20 of the world rankings, we are given only one spot automatically and the next five have to play with another 13 countries to vie for three spots remaining.
Utter rubbish FIH and this is discrimination against Asia, period.
So AHF should just tell FIH where to go as far as the Olympics is concerned, and forget about the Premier Series.
For once stand up and be counted Asia as for far too long have you been taken to the cleaners by these so called wise men of FIH.
They want our money but not our teams.
Read the FIH Quota System at www.malaysianhockey.blogspot.com.
By Ajitpal SinghTHE national hockey team, who are on redemption in Guangzhou after their failure in the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, hope to start their Group A campaign with a convincing win over minnows Singapore at the Aoti Hockey Stadium today.
The match is an important one as Malaysia need to score goals to gain confidence before facing group favourites South Korea (Thursday), and followed by Oman (Friday) and China (Sunday).
Coach Stephen van Huizen knows that a huge victory against Singapore will boost the team’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.
“Everything is perfect here. The pitch and facilities are great. My boys gave a good account of themselves when we played Bangladesh (2-0) three days ago. They have adjusted with the pitch,” said van Huizen at the Aoti Hockey Stadium yesterday.
“We will not hold back against Singapore as winning big is our prime objective. It will help my boys gain confidence ahead of difficult matches.
“We do not have major injuries in the team. Everyone is eager to put up a good show. Of course our main goal is to qualify for the semi-finals before thinking ahead.
On whether the team have recovered from their disappointment in Delhi, van Huizen said all major weaknesses have been rectified prior to the Asian Games.
“We have managed to fix what was lacking in Kuala Lumpur. I think we have covered everything. It is now up to the boys to display their best performance in the Asian Games,” said van Huizen.
In Delhi, the national team only managed one win from five matches by scoring seven and conceding 17.
Van Huizen hopes his main goal-getters, among them, striker Tengku Tajuddin (pic), Azlan Misron, Faizal Shaari and penalty corner specialist Muhd Amin Rahim will be on form during the tournament.
“We need to score goals when chances come. And against Singapore and Oman, we need to pile up goals. Of course, we also need to do the same against favourites Korea and China,” he added.
FIGHT FOR THE BALL: Jasjeet Kaur Handa of India (L) blocks the ball from Silin Fazila of Malaysia during their field hockey match.
THE Malaysian women’s hockey team lost 4-0 to India in their opening encounter at the Asian Games yesterday.
Malaysia played in patches and only earned two penalty corners.
In another match, Ai Murakami scored twice off short corners in the first half as Japan defeated Kazakhstan 4-1.
Murakami was on target with 10th minute and 29th minute penalty corners and also deflected a 25-metre pass to Mie Nakashima to score in the first half.
In between those goals, Aki Mitsuhashi scored a field goal in the 17th minute.
Cheon Seul-ki and Park Min-yun scored two goals each in the second half in South Korea’s convincing 5-0 win over Thailand in the other preliminary women’s game.
The men’s field hockey tournament starts from Monday.
By Ajitpal SinghTHE moment of truth has arrived.
The Malaysian national hockey team, who singled out the Asian Games as their top priority, arrived in Guangzhou on Thursday, determined to erase their disappointing performance at last month's New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Pressure is on the national team to fulfill their promise to make an impact in the Asian Games, where the champions will get a direct ticket to the 2012 London Olympics.
In Delhi, the team failed to impress, winning only a match out of five to finish eighth but national captain Mohamed Madzli Ikmar (pic) said the Commonwealth Games was treated as an arena to test tactics and strategies.
"Our mission is in Guangzhou. We learnt many things about our strengths and weaknesses in Delhi and we have rectified them, " said Madzli.
"We failed to defend wisely in Delhi which led to the dismal results but it was only a test. We learnt from our mistakes there and made the necessary changes for the past two weeks. Now we are ready to make our name here.
"This Asian Games is important to all teams as the winners get to play in the Olympics. Like us, other teams are also hoping to clinch that single ticket. "
Madzli, 31, is making his fourth Asian Games appearance, having made his debut in the 1998 Bangkok edition.
His best show in the Asian Games was winning a bronze in the 2002 Busan edition. The defender has been captain of the national team since last year's 2009 Asia Cup in Kuantan.
In Guangzhou, Malaysia will start their Group A campaign against Singapore on Monday followed by South Korea (Nov 18), Oman (Nov 19) and China (Nov 21).
"Overall, the team are in high spirits but we need to translate it on the pitch. Korea and China are our main rivals. However, we must also take Oman and Singapore seriously as we need the goals," he added.New Straits Times
By S. ThyagarajanAll the loose ends — and there were not many — in the gorgeous spic and span AOTI Sports complex were sewn up as the 16th Asian Games is poised to unfold in what is viewed by the local media as an unprecedented spectacle on Friday, to set the tone and tenor for the 15-day sporting carnival of the continent.
The two hockey pitches within the gigantic sports complex became a beehive of activity on Thursday with teams having a feel of the turf and the technical teams, tournament officers, judges, umpires (men and women), drawn from various countries in the continent, checking out the facilities relating to equipment, working conditions, while the umpires managers completed the fitness tests, under the guidance and supervision of the seasoned and highly-rated FIH and AHF Tournament Director Mathavan Devadas, from Singapore.
Professional approach
Appreciating the professionalism by all sections of the people connected with the facilities at the two stadiums, Mr. Devadas particularly complimented the pool of volunteers for their enthusiasm, professional work and understanding.
Pakistan, Japan and Malaysia (women) had their workout during the day. The Indian team, which had a fairly long stay of acclimatisation, took it easy on Thursday.
Coach Harendra Singh said everything was under control and all were looking forward to the men's opening match on Monday against Hong Kong-China.
The Indian women's team had a session on the main pitch under the watchful eyes of chief coach Sandeep Somesh. With the women's team manager yet to reach the venue, the team management has named Khalid Modi, the assistant coach, as the manager. India plays Malaysia on Sunday.
Dr. P.S.M.Chandran, Medical Officer of the AHF, expressed satisfaction with the medical centre and the equipment available. He also had an inspection of the dope control centre. “I found them very good, and what struck was the enthusiasm of the personnel to attend any minor adjustments required, notwithstanding the language barrier.”
The Hindu
By S.S. Dhaliwal (pic).
