Kuala lumpur: Financial constraints are the main factor behind the reduction in the participation of foreign teams in the 2025 Mirnawan Cup Hockey Tournament which will be held from November 2 to 9. Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said that as the organiser, his party was only able to invite eight teams compared to 10 last year due to these constraints.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, many foreign countries are interested in participating in this tournament, but the organisers need to consider their current financial capabilities, which led them to select teams that can provide quality competition to the country’s young players. Despite the reduction in participation, the excitement of organising the tournament, which is now entering its fourth edition since it was introduced in 2022, remains unaffected.

Subahan further emphasised that the main goal is to provide exposure and a significant impact on the development of the country’s young players. He announced that the under-18 men’s category will feature Malaysia Speedy, Malaysia Tiger, Japan, South Africa, and two teams from Australia, Queensland and Croc One Active. Meanwhile, the under-18 women’s category will see participation from Malaysia Tigress, Japan, South Africa, and two teams from Australia, Queensland and Croc One Active.

The Mirnawan Cup is an international invitational hockey tournament organised by the National Hockey Development Programme (NHDP) under the supervision of the National Sports Council (MSN) in collaboration with MHC. The tournament, scheduled to last for eight days, serves as an important platform to assess the potential of the country’s reserve players and strengthen sports relations between Malaysia and foreign countries. All teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the final.