KUALA LUMPUR: The 2023 Mirnawan Cup tournament, which begins tomorrow, will be a new platform to unearth new talents to be roped into the national squad for future editions of the Hockey Junior World Cup.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said the second edition of the international invitational tournament, which focuses on the boys’ and girls’ Under-17 category, is also the best platform to expose the players to actual competition against world-class teams.
“This (Mirnawan Cup) is not just about vying for the trophy but more towards exposure. I want them to feel the heat of international competition.
“Most of the players representing Malaysia are in the 16-year-old age group. Since the Junior World Cup is currently held biennially, we have ample time to polish the talent so that they can represent the country in the next two or four years,” he told a media conference here today.
Only players aged 21 and below are allowed to play in the Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup.
Subahan hoped that the Mirnawan Cup could be held annually after this to ensure continuity in the development of talent at the grassroots level.
The 2023 Mirnawan Cup, to be held at the Lembah Pantai Hockey Stadium from Nov 18 to Nov 26, will feature five boys’ teams and six girls’ sides.
In the boys’ category, Malaysia will field two teams, namely Malaysia Speedy Tigers (A) and Malaysia Speedy Tigers (B). The other teams are South Africa, the Hockey Association of Odisha from India and Australia All Star.
The girls’ category, meanwhile, will have Malaysia Speedy Tigress (A), Malaysia Speedy Tigress (B), South Africa, Hockey Association of Odisha from India, Australia All Star and Japan.
Meanwhile, Subahan hopes that the national players will put up a spirited performance to achieve their target of reaching the quarter-finals at the 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Dec 5-16.
Malaysia have been drawn in Group A with defending champion Argentina, 1997 winner Australia and Chile.-Bernama
