JOHOR BAHRU, 14 June – Why the big rush to organise the National Under-14 and Under-16 competitions when the nation is still struggling to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic which has brought sports to a virtual standstill worldwide.
The Johor Hockey Association (JHA) wants the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) not to rush into things and confuse matters as the “well being and safety of all stakeholders is of utmost priority” as it involves school-going children.
JHA acting president, Datuk Majid Manjit Abdullah in a statement said: “The JHA fully supports the initiative of ‘Return to Hockey’ but let us adhere to the regulations imposed by the National Security Council and the Ministry of Health who have stated that no contact and no competitions as the key narratives.”
The MHC recently said that plans are also afoot to hold the National Junior League and this is made of teams from schools – and the directive is ”crystal clear” that no physical activity is permitted.
”We, therefore, seek more clarity with regards to the eligibility of players, especially those in schools, before any measures are undertaken to proceed with the tournaments.”
As for the Razak Cup – the premier hockey tournament in the country is mainly for adults.
”As such we humbly appeal to the (MHC) Competitions Committee to refrain from making public any plans to hold competitions so as to avoid confusion amongst the hockey fraternity that it is safe to return.
”Therefore, while we welcome the efforts of MHC to complete their calendar, we urge caution and that discussion is held with the Ministry of Education to first determine if schoolchildren will be allowed to participate in these tournaments,” added Manjit.
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