Malaysian Hockey Federation gets new logo for 49th 100PLUS Tun Abdul Razak Cup
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) launched a new logo for the 49th MHF 100PLUS Tun Abdul Razak Cup in collaboration with 100PLUS on March 23 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Earlier, a three-year deal was signed between the MHF and 100PLUS worth RM 1.5 million for sponsoring the Tun Razak Cup that begins on May 27. The deal is based on RM 500,000 per year that is divided as RM 300,000 in cash and RM 200,000 in kind.
On March 22, MHF announced the postponement of the competition that needed to be held on April 2. In order to avoid a clash with the Malaysian Junior Hockey League (MJHL), the date had been revised to May 27.
The competition has also been revived from its traditional match patterns and will follow a new format hereon. The 20 teams will first confront their respective zones and then be separated into two divisions with 10 teams each for the final round. Unlike
its previous two-week format, it shall now carry on for two months.
President of the MHF Tengku Abdullah Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah commented that this tournament has provided the country with many World class players and has been helpful in terms of selecting the Malaysian National Team for the mega events like Olympics, World
Cups and many other international competitions. Even though the Tun Razak Cup is considered as one of the prestigious tournaments, yet it lacked to sustain recognition.
Shah said, “The tournament needed a face lift with innovative ideas to sustain and maintain its position as the “Premier National” competition in the country and that's why we have introduced a qualifying round."
The first round, known as the Zonal qualifiers, will start on May 27 and end up on July 3 in which the top two teams from each zone shall qualify to play in the Division One of the final round. On contrary, Division Two will feature the 10 teams that failed
to qualify for Division One in the final round that will take place from July 21-30.
The 20 teams to participate in the event include 16 affiliates of the MHF with four more teams invited namely the National Under-16 Squad, Singapore, Labuan and Brunei.
The five zones to battle amongst each other during the first round are North, South, East, Central and West. The invited teams have been accommodated in these zones as Singapore in the South Zone with Labuan and Brunei in the West Zone.
National Corporate Affairs Manager of F&N Beverages Dato’ Kamal Harun said, “100PLUS have been involved in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, FIH Champions Trophy, and other major age-group hockey events in the country including the Malaysian Hockey League. We are
delighted to be involved with Malaysia’s premier hockey tournament as the title sponsor. 100PLUS has always been a friend of hockey and we hope this will help strengthen our relationship.”
The event needs to earn back its’ grandeur that has withered away with the passage of time. A step taken to conduct the competition in a new format is more or less a risk that has been taken by MHF.
The new zonal twist may have a negative effect on the tournament or become a complete success. Only time will tell.
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