INVENTED by British navy divers in the 1950s, underwater hockey is gaining popularity in Asia and the sport, recently introduced in Malaysia, will be making its debut in the Philippines Sea Games in November.
Four gold medals will be on offer in underwater hockey, also known as Octopush, at the biennial games, and the newly-formed Malaysian team hope to make a lasting impression.
The Malaysia Underwater Hockey Association (Muha), who are not funded, are also taking their own initiatives to promote the sport in the country.
Muha president Ishmael Ho is not setting any lofty targets for the Sea Games considering the more experienced nations they will be up against.
“At the Asean level, the Philippines are the most experienced, followed by Singapore, so these two countries are expected to battle it out for gold and silver,” said Ishmael.
“Indonesia and Myanmar are similar to us in terms of experience. Our target is to win bronze (in each category), but if we can upset the favourites then I believe silver is possible.
“We are still new in comparison, so we have to manage our expectations.
“The sport is over 60 years old, but it has only been played here in Malaysia for the last three or four years.
“Some players, however, have played the game for over seven years. They picked up the sport when they were abroad to pursue their studies. We have 60 players in the training squad.”
While it is usually played in a mixed-gender format, the Sea Games will separate teams into men and women’s categories. There will be a six-on-six category as well as a four-on-four discipline.
Ishmael disclosed that they will be competing under category ‘B’ at the Sea Games which means they will only be reimbursed if they win a medal in the competition.
They, however, have no complaints about being self-funded.
“We are in category B as underwater hockey is a new sport and this is the first time it is being included in the Sea Games,” added Ishmael.
“We have no issues in terms of commitment as from the first day itself we have said funding is not an issue.
“Currently, we raise our own funds to play abroad. Some players even take leave from work to compete,” he added.
In March, the national underwater team played in an invitational tournament in the Philippines against Asean and European sides. As expected, they did not win a match but the losing margins against Asean teams were close.
While the biennial games are a focus for the national body this year, Ishmael said their plans for the sport extend far beyond that.
“We have already begun preparing for the Sea Games and have scheduled a number of warm-up tournaments.
“We will also have a foreign coach to guide us in August," said Ishmael.
“We are committed to developing the sport in the country. In fact, we have already started conducting coaching clinics and open days in Johor and Negri Sembilan and are hoping to go to Penang and Malacca next.
“We also have weekly open days for those interested on Tuesday nights at the PJ Palm Sports Centre, where we are also based,” he added.
The sport originated in England in 1954 when a group of divers wanted to keep active in the cold winter months.
The gravity-defying sport of underwater hockey has gained a worldwide following.
The acrobatic sport requires participants to hunt a heavy plastic puck and hit it into their opponents’ goalmouth with a short curved stick.
Competitors wear snorkels, fins, ear protectors and gloves as they swim around the puck, diving and somersaulting to gain possession.
Swimmers compete along the pool floor, coming up for air, but never lifting their heads out of the pool.