KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — The 2023 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Ranchi, India, from October 27 to November 5, will be used to assess and select the Malaysian Tigress players for the 2024 Paris Olympic Qualifiers.
National women’s hockey team head coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim has thrown down the gauntlet to the 20 players featured in India to show their true capabilities so they can be evaluated and listed for next January’s Olympic Qualifiers.
Those chosen for the ACT possessed high quality, technical skills, resilience, and physical strength, making it easier to adapt to the team’s tactical approach and the fast tempo, especially when playing at the highest level.
He said 15 players named for the ACT played in the recent 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, while five others are newcomers.
“The players’ tactical acumen and capability in making on-field decisions were among the criteria taken into consideration, in addition to the efforts put in and their desire to fight for the cause.
“We, the coaching panel, hope all the players can give their best in the championship (ACT) so that we can prepare a more solid team with a more detailed training programme,” Nasihin said in a statement issued by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today.
The 2023 Women’s ACT, to be played in a round-robin format, will see India, Malaysia, China, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand vying for glory.
— Bernama
