Hockey5s set to be contested at Bangkok SEA Games — Subahan
The five-aside hockey (Hockey5s) event is set to be contested at the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok, Thailand, said Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal.
He said that he received the information from Thailand Hockey Association president Datuk Seri Chayaipak Siriwat, who fought for the event to be included in the biennial multisports event.
“Chayaipak, who is also a council member of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), informed me of the matter (that the Hockey5s will be contested at the next SEA Games) today.
“After this, we will focus on indoor hockey and five-aside hockey as they have the potential to win medals for the country,” he told reporters during the MHC get-together function with the media at the National Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.
Subahan expects the inclusion of Hockey5s to further brighten the Malaysian contingent’s gold medal hopes at the SEA Games since the national men’s five-aside squad performed well at the recent Hockey5s World Cup.
Malaysia emerged runnersup in the inaugural Hockey5s World Cup 2024 after losing 5-2 to European giants the Netherlands in the final at the Oman Hockey Stadium on Jan 31.
Meanwhile, Subahan hopes that the Youth and Sports Ministry will consider providing a special stadium for the five-aside hockey and indoor hockey events.
“Hockey5s does not have a proper venue... we should try to have a proper venue for indoor hockey and five-a-side hockey. (We can then) hold international tournaments. Hopefully, (it) will be included in the next Budget,” he said. — Bernama