Octopush boys seek medal underwater
WHILE underwater hockey remains obscure to most Malaysians, the national team hope to come back with at least a bronze medal from the Philippines Sea Games next month.
In fact, the Malaysian Underwater Hockey Association (MUHA) are hoping to use the biennial Games as a stepping stone to greater heights, including a spot in next year's World Championships.
National head coach, Adrian Stuart admitted that although the team are young and inexperienced, they have shown tremendous improvement over the last couple of months.
According to the 42-year-old Scotsman, most of the youngsters, including two 15-year-olds, have shown far more promise than some of the seasoned campaigners from the other top nations.
“The Sea Games will be the players’ first major international tournament and they have been training really hard for it.
“We have had a few matches overseas but this will be a whole new experience for them.
“They train five times a week and we are hoping for them to at least win a bronze,” said Stuart, who was named head coach four months ago.
Only four countries (the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia) will compete in Manila next month, with Malaysia being the underdog.
“Singapore are the favourite as they have been playing the sport for a very long time, while the players from the Philippines and Indonesia have got more than 10 years of experience.
“We recently recorded our first win against Hong Kong (5-1).
So, we will see. We are looking forward to a good outing,” added Stuart.
MUHA deputy president, B. Roshan Babu said the national body hope to use the experience from the Sea Games to kickstart a comprehensive grassroots programme for the future.
“Underwater hockey, also known as octopush, is a sport that has been around since the 1950s.
“The highest level is the World Championships and we are hoping to get our team in it for the 21st edition next year (in Australia).
“We also want to introduce the sport to schools,” Roshan said.
In January, MUHA conducted an open trial where they selected more than 35 athletes before trimming it down to 24.
“Most of the other countries have got players who are as old as 42 and have a background in sports like water polo.
“We, however, have got youngsters who are fast swimmers. Let’s see how we match up with the rest.”