Tai Beng Hai will continue his role as the national hockey squad’s head coach and has been tasked with taking Malaysia to the Olympics for the first time in 15 years.
Beng Hai will be assisted by ex-national team player and current head coach of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin.
Neil Hawgood will maintain his role as team consultant until June, when his contract officially expires, whereas Stephen Van Huizen takes on the job of being team manager.
The announcement was made by President of the Malaysian Hockey Condeferation (MHC), Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal after a discussion with the director-general of the National Sports Council (MSN), Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail and the senior squad players yesterday.
Malaysia will be playing in the semi finals of the World Hockey League in Antwerp, Belgium starting June 20 till July 5. The competition will be a crucial platform for them to secure qualifications into the Olympics next year.
The last time Malaysia qualified for the major sports event was 15 years ago, in Sydney, Australia.
Photo credits: Utusan
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