EVEN during the fasting month of Ramadan, there is no rest for elite athletes. For instance, national hockey players must continue to train to maintain their fitness and performance despite the difficulties faced as a result of fasting.
As such, the coach and players adapt their exercise programmes to minimise these difficulties and decide on the best possible solution for all parties involved. For instance, training sessions would be conducted at night as opposed to the day.
During Ramadan, not many people know what athletes go through or the sacrifices they have to make. To be able to face training challenges during the fasting month, food intake is crucial for players, and considerations need to be made to ensure dehydration is curbed.
Aside from their health, players have to make personal sacrifices during Ramadan, such as not being able to break their fast with loved ones and perform terawih prayers should their training sessions be conducted at night.
During my playing career with the national hockey team, there was not a single year where I did not have training sessions during Ramadan.
As I had mentioned earlier in the Special Barcelona 1992 article, it was during a fasting month when we were preparing for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
We had to endure a two-week physical workout session under coach Terry Walsh at Kilat Club Padang and at the National Sports Council (NSC) outlet on Jalan Raja Muda before we departed for the Spanish city.
It was torturous to say the least! In an effort to make the Muslim players more comfortable during the workout session, Walsh had to spray water on them!
Moreover, I even have the unique experience of playing in a major tournament during Ramadan, namely the 1996 Atlanta Olympics qualifiers, which was held in Barcelona that same year in early January.
As it was not easy to perform under the circumstances, it was a memorable outing under coach Volker Knapp as Malaysia qualified after finishing fifth behind Holland, India, Great Britain and Spain.
Some were of the opinion then that we should not have fasted during a big tournament as we could run the risk of dehydration and so on, which could endanger our health.
There was truth in their opinion as our bodies may not have been able to handle the stress of playing throughout the day after having only one meal ─ our sahur or pre-dawn meal ─ prior to playing matches in the morning, afternoon and evening.
However, they still left it to the players and after a brief discussion, we decided to fast. As I mentioned earlier, food intake was crucial and we had to be disciplined enough to follow it to the letter or risk getting sick in the process.
All the sacrifice and hard work proved worthwhile as we successfully won a place in Atlanta for the Olympics.
Fast forward to today and our national team is currently facing the same predicament ─ undergoing training sessions with no break afforded to them during Ramadan.
As part of their preparations for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, which is scheduled from 23 July to 8 August, the team will be involved in a Test series against Great Britain and Japan, which begins today until 23 April.
Held at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Malaysia is slated to have two Test matches against each team. It's great that we have the chance to play these matches whilst preparing for a major tournament not only because Great Britain and Japan are formidable sides but because we have not played an international match for more than a year due to the pandemic.
Although these matches are challenging for Muslim players during the month of Ramadan, playing against these teams will help us determine how we fare in the international arena after such a long lay-off period.
Despite these Test match results not being a primary concern, this does not mean we have no aspirations to win. As the manager, I want my players to have a winning mindset as they prepare for three tournaments later in the year, namely the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh this coming June and the Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka, Bangladesh in October, followed by the Asia Cup, which is scheduled for November at a yet-to-be-disclosed venue.
The Asia Cup is crucial as it is part of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar, India, from 13 to 29 January of that year.
The national squad is also planning a training tour prior to the Asia Cup and Asian Champions Trophy. Moreover, there is a remote possibility of South Africa pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics and us taking over; we have to be prepared for any eventuality.
Although coach A. Arul Selvaraj has just selected 22 players in the squad to play against Great Britain and Japan with four or five of them from the National Juniors, these players are not confirmed and have been released for now to their coach, Wallace Tan, in preparation for the important Junior Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 1 to 10 July.
As this tournament acts as the qualifier for the Junior World Cup in India later this year, it is important for Wallace to have his best players around as he prepares the team.
Selamat berpuasa to all Muslims. Stay safe. everyone. ─ The Vibes, 17 April, 2021
THE TEST SERIES SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS:
• Hafizuddin Othman (THT)
• Adrian Albert (UniKL)
• Zaimi Mat Deris (Maybank)
• Hairi Abdul Rahman (TNB)
DEFENDERS:
• Razie Rahim (UniKL)
• Marhan Jalil (UniKL)
• Zulpidaus Mizun (UniKL)
• Syed Syafiq Syed Cholan (TNB)
• Najib Abu Hassan (TNB)
• Aminuddin Mohd Zain (TNB)
• Azri Hassan (UniKL)
• Najmi Farizal Jazlan (Maybank)
MIDFIELDERS:
• Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi (TNB)
• Faiz Helmi (TNB)
• Ramadan Rosli (TNB)
• Ashran Hamsani (UNIKL)
• Meor Azuan Hassan (Maybank)
FORWARDS:
• Norsyafiq Sumantri (TNB)
• Firhan Ashaari (TNB)
• Shahril Saabah (TNB)
• Faizal Saari (THT)
• Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Jalil (UniKL)
THE TEST SERIES FIXTURES
• April 17: Malaysia v Japan (9pm) ─ Pitch One
• April 18: Japan v Great Britain (9pm) ─ Pitch Two
• April 19: Malaysia v Great Britain (9pm) -- Pitch One
• April 20: Malaysia v Japan (9pm) -- Pitch One
• April 21: Great Britain v Japan (9pm) -- Pitch One
• April 22: Malaysia v Great Britain (9pm) -- Pitch One
• April 23: Great Britain v Japan (10am) -- Pitch One
