LA gold beyond reach for hockey, says Subahan

PETALING JAYA: Being left out of the Road to Gold (RTG) programme is not a major concern for the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), with president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal admitting Olympic gold remains a tough ask for the national team.

Subahan said MHC fully understand the purpose of the elite programme, which is aimed at delivering Malaysia’s historic first Olympic gold medal, and acknowledged hockey may not yet fit that ambition ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“To be honest, this is not really our call. The decision belongs to the minister and we completely respect whatever is decided,” said Subahan after the signing of a memorandum of agreement with Tenaga Nasional Berhad yesterday.

“You have to understand that RTG is about winning Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal, and realistically, for hockey, that remains an extremely difficult task even if we qualify for Los Angeles 2028.”

Malaysia have made nine Olympic appearances, with their last coming at the 2000 Sydney Games. Their best results were eighth-place finishes at Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976.

“The support we are receiving is sufficient ... we are taking it one step at a time. For us, we’re not pushing to be in RTG. There are more important sports that need support,” Subahan added.

Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohd Taufiq Johari said the RTG meeting on Tuesday will discuss, among others, the possibility of adding more sports that have the potential to deliver Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal.