WITH Hockey 5s set to have their own World Cup in 2023, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) are now doing their part to popularise the event in the country.
Played on a smaller field with different rules, Hockey 5s is an cross-breed between field hockey and indoor hockey, which the International Hockey Federation (FIH) are earnestly promoting.
In 2018, Malaysia grabbed attention at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires by surprisingly winning the Hockey 5s title by beating India 4-2 in the final.
“Malaysia won the men’s 2018 Youth Olympic gold medal, so we are going to build on it,” said MHC high performance and Hockey 5s committee chairman Hasnizam Hassan.
“For starters, the Terengganu HA have agreed to stage an international Hockey 5s tournament in August.
“We have also decided that every HA must have a Hockey 5s committee. They must also conduct seminars and a carnival event in conjunction with the National Sports Month.
“MHC will work closely with the Education Ministry to popularise the event in schools as the playing field is much smaller than field hockey.
“A two-day seminar will be held at the end of next month at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil for coaches as well as umpires from every state to familiarise them with rules and regulations.”
Hockey 5s, a small-sided outdoor game, was introduced by FIH in 2014.
Hockey 5s was created for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China and since then, the event has been growing in popularity internationally.