KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Financial constraints are the main factor behind the reduction in the participation of foreign teams in the 2025 Mirnawan Cup Hockey Tournament which will be held from November 2 to 9.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said that as the organiser, his party was only able to invite eight teams compared to 10 last year due to these constraints.
"Many foreign countries are interested in participating in this tournament, but we need to look at our current financial capabilities. Therefore, we choose teams that are able to provide quality competition to the country's young players," he told reporters at a press conference here today.
Commenting further, he added that despite the reduction in participation, it has not at all affected the excitement of organising the tournament which is now entering its fourth edition since it was introduced in 2022.
"There is no point in organising a tournament just for the sake of organising it. The main goal is to provide exposure and a big impact on the development of the country's young players," he said.
Earlier, Subahan announced that the under-18 men's category will be participated by Malaysia Speedy, Malaysia Tiger, Japan, South Africa and two teams from Australia, Queensland and Croc One Active.
Meanwhile, the under-18 women's category will be participated by Malaysia Tigress, Japan, South Africa and two teams from Australia, Queensland and Croc One Active.
The Mirnawan Cup is an international invitational hockey tournament organised by the National Hockey Development Programme (NHDP) under the supervision of the National Sports Council (MSN) in collaboration with MHC.
The tournament, which is scheduled to last for eight days, is also an important platform to assess the potential of the country's reserve players and strengthen sports relations between Malaysia and foreign countries.
All teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the final.
-- BERNAMA
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