An almost perfectly organised World Cup

KUDOS to the Odisha state government for their super effort in hosting the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India. No stone was left unturned to make players, officials and fans welcomed to the Kalinga Stadium, where security was so tight that even a mouse could not be smuggled in to cause mischief.

Every wall in the city was painted with murals of hockey players in action. And the Kalinga Stadium was not only a venue for hockey, but a carnival with big screens and plenty of activities for kids right up to octogenarians. World Cup advertisements plastered every possible corner, and the 15,000-capacity stadium was packed for every match.

Tickets for the quarter-finals onwards were sold out the minute they were made available online and even then, there were no ticket touts seen loitering around to make a quick buck.

This is possibly because at least 500 police personnel from traffic to regular, as well as the army were standing like a wall around the stadium.

However, the one area which was found wanting was the media centre as well as the interview zone.

Team coaches were rarely brought into the media centre, even after repeated requests. The media were asked to conduct their business in the mixed zone, located at the side of the pitch.

The media had to catch players while they walked past. Not a problem.

But while interviewing, the media had to put up with loud music as well as shrieking announcements from the MC.

And as a result, journalists could barely hear what the coaches as well as players being interviewed were saying.

Some coaches just walked by and refused to stop after their teams lost.

It was nightmarish to get a decent interview, as even up until the quarter-finals, coaches and players were not brought to the media centre to be interviewed in a more conducive environment.

As for Malaysia’s performance, less said is better.

The team, excluding goalkeeper S. Kumar aka punching-bag, played well below their capabilities and there was lack of passion as well as drive in their play.

The Malaysian Hockey Confederation gave them everything but they still failed to perform.

So, those in the team who feel they can no longer contribute please quit the game and allow coach Roelant Oltmans to select new blood.

It was a rough ride for Malaysia at the Kalinga Stadium, but for others, the memory was of a wellorganised event, except for the media centre.