The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- No sense in opting for zonal format in MJHL when it was proven a flop
- Philippines to focus only on Asiad and Olympic sports
- Simoncelli’s fatal crash casts a shadow on Stoner’s year
| No sense in opting for zonal format in MJHL when it was proven a flop Posted: 19 Dec 2011 03:43 PM PST HOCKEY'S popularity in Malaysia is fast fading. The national hockey team's struggles to make an impact on the international scene is one of the reasons for its decline over the years. And to imagine that hockey used to be one of the top sports in the country after football, badminton and maybe even athletics. So one would expect the hockey governing body to do everything they can to reignite interest in the game - from grassroots development to holding hockey tournaments. And speaking of tournaments, the men's hockey calendar for 2012 kicks off next month with the Malaysia Junior Hockey League (MJHL). That's well and fine. But what's troubling hockey fans is that with less than a month to go, nobody seems to know what is the format for the tournament. A meeting will be held today to discuss the matter, with the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) favouring the zonal format. The meeting is basically to tell the clubs about the zonal format and to get their feedback. Then, at the end of the three-hour meeting, the clubs are to decide whether they are okay with the zonal format. What is perplexing is that the decision to change the format was made in July after a seminar and agreed to by the state secretaries. The following month, the executive council of the former MHF endorsed the format change. Why didn't the competitions committee give a copy of the format to the clubs and get their feedback then? The MJHL is due to start in less than a month and clubs are going to be given a matter of hours to decide. It is important that the clubs speak up now to ensure their interest is given priority. It is they who spend money and time to prepare the team for the MJHL. The zonal system has been proven to be a flop. Just go down the road a few months ago and see what it did to the Razak Cup competition. The zonal system was supposed to have a qualifying round where only the top two teams from each zone would make the Finals. But when 16 teams signed up, the competitions committee changed their minds and allowed all teams to go through to the Finals. Obviously, none of the states took the qualifiers seriously. What a joke! It was only recently that the executive council informed the committee to revert to the old format for the Razak Cup. Yet, we are now heading down the same road for the MJHL. It's been months since the seminar ended in July, yet none of the officials are able to give a rational explanation in wanting to change something that has been in existence since the MJHL started in 1995. Some members of the committee say they hope to see more teams participate. Good idea. Some even venture to say that the Final round should have just quality teams. But isn't that why there was a two–division format in the first place? In what way will changing the format make the MJHL better or more competitive? And why should a team wanting to play at the national level, be confined to just their zone? There is simply no sense in opting for the zonal format. What is even more glaring is the lack of information flowing through to all the affiliates. It seems like everything is so highly top secret. Organising chairman Datuk Abdul Rahim Mohamed Ariff pointed out that the secretaries had decided to give the zonal format a try for one year. Sure, why not? But why keep everyone in the dark then? Let's hope the clubs will ask the right questions when they meet today and also look at the long-term repercussions before agreeing to anything. The MJHL has been the feeder ground in the development programme of the association and the stepping stone for many juniors to advance to the senior level. The zonal system will restrict the teams from playing against teams from other states in different zones. The hockey scene does not need another confusion in the MJHL like what happened in the Razak Cup. Finding ways to improve the league and to make it more glamorous is the right thing to do. Don't copy a failed system. To the teams in the MJHL who will be at the meeting today, it is your call. Even if you support the change, at least ask the right questions. The future of the game is in your hands. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Philippines to focus only on Asiad and Olympic sports Posted: 19 Dec 2011 03:40 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Athletes from the Philippines for the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar will only compete in sports that feature in the Olympics and Asian Games. Philippines Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia was quoted by the Philippine Star online portal as saying that this would help lower the participation cost in the biennial event as well as end the practice of fielding and funding athletes in sports where they have practically no chance of winning any medals. "In the SEA Games, it has become a common practice for host countries to include indigenous or traditional sports and, most of the time, the hosts dominate the events," he said. Garcia, who had just returned to Manila from the Asean Sports Ministers meeting in Indonesia, said that most of the SEA Games participating countries had agreed to limit the events to sports offered in the Olympics and Asian Games. Acknowledging that it may be a little too late to adopt the changes for the Myanmar Games, he said what was important was that the proposal had been introduced to Asean members. — Bernama Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Simoncelli’s fatal crash casts a shadow on Stoner’s year Posted: 19 Dec 2011 03:34 PM PST PARIS: Marco Simoncelli's death at Sepang, Malaysia, in October cast a long shadow over the 2011 MotoGP season, the gifted Italian's untimely passing a shocking reminder of the ever present dangers attached to the sport. The tragedy, which followed one year on from the death of Japanese teenager Shoya Tomizawa, robbed the grid of one of its brightest and quickest stars. Simoncelli, the flamboyant 2008 Moto2 world champion with the distinctive Jimi Hendrix hairstyle, was making waves in the top division in what was only his second season. Two pole positions and two podiums for Honda augured well for the popular rider's future title prospects. Casey Stoner, who only the week earlier was crowned 2011 MotoGP world champion at home in the Australian Grand Prix, led the tributes to Simoncelli at Sepang, saying: "When something like this happens you remember how precious life is." Another MotoGP colleague and friend, Andrea Dovizioso, commented: "Marco was a courageous rider and he always fought hard. We've battled on the track since we were kids. I often saw him fall off but without any harm. He appeared indestructible." Sepang was the penultimate leg of a year which saw Stoner claim his second MotoGP crown. The Honda rider took the title in Phillip Island after his closest rival, defending champion Jorge Lorenzo, crashed in practice. The Spaniard had to be flown back to Madrid for surgery to re-attach the ring finger on his left hand, leaving Stoner to power to victory in a wire-to-wire win on his 26th birthday. Second across the line that day was Simoncelli in what was to be his best ever performance in MotoGP. Stoner, who claimed his first MotoGP title in 2007, enjoyed a standout season. The Honda ace made the podium in every race bar Jerez, wrapping up the year in the best possible fashion with victory in the season-closing race in Valencia. That was his 10th win of 2011 and it was achieved in memorable style as he pipped American Ben Spies on the line. Stoner's points haul of 350 was 90 clear of Lorenzo, with Dovizioso ending up with 228 points in third. Multiple world champion Valentino Rossi had a quiet time by his standards, the Ducati man coming in seventh, tied on 139 points with his fallen compatriot, Simoncelli. In Moto2 the crown went to Stefan Bradl of Germany, the Kalex rider triumphing when his sole rival, Marc Marquez of Spain, pulled out of the title decider in Spain. Bradl laid down his marker for the season when rattling off wins in four of the first six races. Marquez hit back with six out of seven wins but the 2010 125cc champion was then kyboshed when he fell in testing in Sepang, forcing his no-show in Valencia. In the 125 class the crown went to Aprilia's Spanish rider Nicolas Terol when he took second to 16-year-old sensation Maverick Venales, who finished third in the standings, in the season-closer. Terol will be remembered as the last ever 125 champion as the category is reborn next year as Moto3. MotoGP also undergoes a transformation with the introduction of 1000cc bikes to replace the existing 800cc engines. Stoner, for one, is seduced by the idea of gunning for his third title on the bigger model, describing the new engine as "fantastic with incredible acceleration". — AFP Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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