A cause for concern arising from the Hangzhou Asian Games centered around the disappointing performance and outcomes of the national men's hockey team. The speedy tigers concluded the competition in sixth place, suffering three consecutive losses to lower-ranked teams during the tournament.

Expectations for at least a medal were not met, and securing a positive result would have automatically qualified the speedy tigers for the upcoming Paris Olympics. The Asian Games campaign also resulted in the national team's world rankings dropping from 10th to 12th, leading to the Olympic Council of Malaysia removing the sport from the Road to Gold program.

I.Vikneswaran, the president of Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association and manager of the U21 national hockey team, joins us on the line to analyse the Hangzhou performance and discuss the challenges on the path to qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

image credit: Malaysian Hockey Confederation