Tai Beng Hai, Malaysian national coach to assess patience of athletes during month of Ramadan
Tai Beng Hai, the coach of the Malaysian national side, is aiming to test his athletes’ patience during the Holy month of Ramadan by putting them against the Japanese national side for a series of five test matches. This is being done so that the players
may familiarised with the stress and the energy required to stay for seventy minutes in the field while observing fast because they will have to face the similar situation in the next year’s London Olympics in England.
"Our matches against Japan have always been close, with the last encounter ending in a 2-2 draw (2008 Olympics Qualifier) and so I believe playing against Japan is a good option to test several players who have shown improvements in the last few months,"
Tai Beng Hai, the coach of the Malaysian national hockey side, stated about their series against Japan and their training for the 2012 London Olympics.
He viewed the friendly test matches against the Japanese national side and then the Asian Champions Trophy as great chances to achieve their goals set for the Champions Challenge and also for the Olympic Qualifier.
Beng Hai further explained that the series against Japan will be a test for the athletes as it is being played during the fast timings.
He also stated that their ultimate target is to exhibit their best performance in the Champions Challenge as well as in the Olympics qualifiers to confirm their berth in the London Olympics, the prestigious tournament which will be held in London, England
in July 2012.
The first match of the four test match series against the Japanese national side will be played on August 7 later in the evening at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil but in the second match the Malaysian players will be tested at the tail end of
the day while observing fast.
It will be interesting to see how the Malaysian players will be able to adapt their style of play during the holy month of Ramadan and get ready for the challenges of the 2012 London Olympics.
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