Infected pitches put Azlan Shah Cup in doubt
The 20th Azlan Shah Cup is on the horizon of International Hockey, where the world’s top teams will confront each other from the 5th to the 15th May, 2011 at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia. It is disappointing that
the stadium is in an extremely bad state with fungus infected pitches, requiring extensive preparation time for the upcoming event.
The Malaysian Hockey League Premier Division team, while playing their match, recently discovered the bad state of the pitch. Both pitches were found to be filled with fungus, with the ball not rolling according to the player’s actions. The surface has become
so slippery that many of the players were unable to get the right footing while chasing the ball. The pitch also had issues of intense mud filled in the turf, which added to the slipperiness over the surface.
An official, who refused to reveal his identity, informed that the scoreboard was in bits. He further informed that the artificial turfs are in progress to be cleaned and improved, but it would require a time of one month or more as it is a tiresome and
critical job.
The recent rains had worsened the pitch’s position because the water remained stagnant for extended periods of time, causing an intense fungus infestation. The drainage system will also need extensive work to be done, due to flooding in the changing rooms
below the pitch level.
With the pitch in such a bad state, increased investment to improve the facilities will have to be made on the Azlan Shah stadium within a short amount of time.
This means that the stadium shall be closed for almost a month before the preparations of the 20th Azlan Shah Cup.
When the stadium reopens, the Malaysian hockey team will not be left with much time to prepare themselves for the event. This fact is all the more nerve-wrecking for the team as they have to delay their practice sessions as the entire stadium is brought
back to international standards.
Rain is not a new issue for the Azlan Shah cup. Last year, the heavy rains had affected the final match, which was abandoned due to a water-logged pitch and a joint-win was declared to India and South Korea.
The MHF is hopeful to fix the problem as soon as possible and alternative measures for the team’s preparation for the event are currently being considered. Keeping in view the importance of the 20th Azlan Shah Cup for the Malaysian team, the local
fans are hopeful of watching their team defeat the top world-ranked teams and finally making it up to the 2012 London Olympics.
It will be quite embarrassing for Malaysia if the Azlan Shah Cup is put in jeopardy due to the stadium being unable to meet the international standards. The disappointment amongst the fans could tarnish the image of hockey in the future.
Tags: