Pasukan Hoki Kebangsaan dan Sukan Olimpik 1980
Ketika itu, pasukan hoki Malaysia tidak pernah terlepas dari bertanding di temasya Sukan Olimpik sejak 1964. Walaupun pulang awal setelah berakhirnya perlawanan pada peringkat kumpulan, pasukan kebangsaan hampir berjaya ke perlawanan separuh akhir setelah menduduki tempat ketiga dalam kumpulan di Sukan Olimpik Munich 1972. Harapan tinggi di Olimpik Montreal 1976. Pasukan negara bangkit dengan mengalahkan Argentina (2-0) dan tuan rumah Kanada (1-0) setelah tewas kepada Australia (0-2) dan Netherlands (0-2). Namun begitu, harapan pasukan negara untuk maju ke peringkat selanjutnya berkecai setelah tewas 0-3 kepada India.
Pada Disember 1979, pasukan hoki Malaysia masih belum berjaya layak ke Sukan Olimpik Moscow. New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Pakistan, India, Kenya, Holland dan Jerman Barat telah pun layak berdasarkan kejayaan mereka memenangi beberapa kejohanan, termasuk tuan rumah Rusia. Hanya tinggal tiga tempat untuk direbut oleh Poland, Spain, Perancis, Belgium, Britain, Kanada dan Malaysia.
Oleh sebab tiada kejohanan kelayakan, Federasi Hoki Antarabangsa (IHF) menyatakan pasukan akan dipilih berdasarkan prestasi di kejohanan-kejohanan antarabangsa sepanjang dua tahun sebelumnya.
Setiausaha Federasi Hoki Malaysia (MHF) G. Vijayanathan yakin akan peluang pasukan Malaysia untuk mendapat satu daripada tiga slot terakhir memandangkan mereka telah mengalahkan Kanada di Piala Dunia 1978, dan Perancis di Kejohanan Hoki Dunia Esanda di Perth pada tahun 1979. Ramai juga pemain remaja yang menduduki tempat ke-empat di Piala Dunia Belia 1979 menembusi skuad senior dan memberi petanda baik untuk layak ke Olimpik. Prestasi baik di Sukan Asia 1978 (tempat ketiga) dan di Piala Dunia 1978 (tempat kesepuluh) menambahkan merit pasukan Malaysia.
Akhirnya, IHF mengumumkan kesemua 12 pasukan yang layak pada 4 Februari 1980. Malaysia berjaya terpilih dan diletakkan di Kumpulan B bersama Jerman, Australia, Spain, New Zealand dan Russia. Sementara Kumpulan A terdiri daripada Pakistan, India, Holland, Argentina, Britain dan Kenya. Walau bagaimanapun, pasukan hoki negara tidak ke Olimpik kerana kerajaan Malaysia telah memulaukan temasya sukan tersebut sebagai bantahan pencerobohan Rusia ke atas Afghanistan.
Namun begitu, skuad kebangsaan meneruskan persiapan mereka untuk pertandingan empat penjuru yang di Kuala Lumpur pada bulan April. Latihan pusat diadakan sebelum pertandingan yang disertai oleh Pakistan, Australia dan India. Walaupun mereka tidak akan bertanding di Olimpik, skuad negara berazam untuk memberikan yang terbaik.
Pemain yang dipanggil untuk latihan pusat di bawah kendalian ketua jurulatih C. Thavanayagam :
Penjaga gol: Zulkifly Abbas, Mohamed Sayuti, Brian Carvalho, Fadzil Ahmad
Pertahanan: Foo Keat Seong, Abdul Rahim, Wallace Tan, Savinder Singh, V. S. Ravindran
Pemain tengah: R. Ramakrishnan, Stephen Van Huizen, M. Suryaprakash, Mohinder Singh, Benedict Arrais, Chin Boon Gee, Kamaruddin Abdullah
Penyerang: Avtar Gill, Colin Sta Maria, Awtar Grewal, Ow Soon Kooi, Tam Chiew Seng, K. Rajan, K. Ravindran, Derek Fidelis, Kevin Nunis, M. Surenthiran, Razak Leman
(Kredit foto: Dunia Sukan)
#LegasiLagenda
#LegasiLegendaDikenangYangKiniDijulang
#SukanSatukanMalaysia
#integriti
#pengorbanan
#kesabaran
//
Malaysia’s National Hockey team and the 1980 Olympic Games
Malaysia’s national hockey team had not missed the Olympic Games since 1964. Although they would head home after the group stage, Malaysia nearly made it to the semifinals after placing third in their group at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Hopes were high at the 1976 Olympics. Malaysia lost to Australia (0-2) and the Netherlands (0-2) before defeating Argentina (2-0) and host country Canada (1-0). Unfortunately, Malaysia then lost 3-0 to India shattering any hope they had to advance.
In December 1979, Malaysia had not qualified for the Moscow Olympics yet. New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Pakistan, India, Kenya, Holland and West Germany qualified based on their championship victories, as well as Russia, for hosting. Three places remain to be decided among Poland, Spain, France, Belgium, Britain, Canada and Malaysia.
As there wasn’t a qualifying tournament to decide, the International Hockey Federation (IHF) stated that teams will be selected based on their performances in qualifying international meets throughout the past two years.
Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) Secretary G. Vijayanathan was confident that Malaysia had a good chance to secure one of the final spots as they defeated Canada at the 1978 World Cup, and France at the 1979 Esanda World Hockey Tournament in Perth. As many of Malaysia’s juniors had joined the senior team, placing 4th at the 1979 Junior World Cup was also a worthy feat. Malaysia had quite a successful run by placing 3rd at the 1978 Asian Games and 10th at the 1978 World Cup, leaving their chances high.
The IHF announced all 12 teams on February 4, 1980. Malaysia was placed in Group B along with West Germany, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and Russia. Meanwhile, Group A consisted of Pakistan, India, Holland, Argentina, Britain and Kenya. However, the national hockey squad forfeited as Malaysia decided to boycott the Games entirely in protest against Russia’s military invasion of Afghanistan.
The Malaysian hockey team went back to business and started centralised training for their next event, which was in April. It was an international quadrangular in Kuala Lumpur – with Pakistan, Australia and India participating. Although they were no longer competing on the Olympic stage, Malaysia’s squad was determined to give their best.
The national squad, under the guidance of chief coach C. Thavanayagam, consisted of:
Goalkeepers: Zulkifly Abbas, Mohamed Sayuti, Brian Carvalho, Fadzil Ahmad
Full-backs: Foo Keat Seong, Abdul Rahim, Wallace Tan, Savinder Singh, V. S. Ravindran
Half-backs: R. Ramakrishnan, Stephen Van Huizen, M. Suryaprakash, Mohinder Singh, Benedict Arrais, Chin Boon Gee, Kamaruddin Abdullah
Forwards: Avtar Gill, Colin Sta Maria, Awtar Grewal, Ow Soon Kooi, Tam Chiew Seng, K. Rajan, K. Ravindran, Derek Fidelis, Kevin Nunis, M. Surenthiran, Razak Leman
(Photo credit: Dunia Sukan)
