Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: early birds Japan eye maiden title

KUALA LUMPUR – Japan have sounded an early warning to other nations as they hope to spring a surprise by clinching the 2022 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which will be held from November 1-10 in Ipoh, Perak.

Its team coach Akira Takahashi hoped their strategy to arrive early in Ipoh ahead of other teams will pay dividends in a bid to taste glory in the tournament.

“We came early due to the very cold weather back home and wanted to acclimatise to the hot and humid weather in Malaysia.

“It is our target is to win the tournament and we want to be well prepared and ready for the tournament here,” he said in a statement by Perak Hockey Association today.

Japan have never won the tournament since they made their debut in 1987 when they finished sixth.

In their three other appearances, the ‘Land of The Rising Sun’ finished seventh in 2016, sixth in 2017, and fifth in 2019.

Japan will open their campaign on November 1 in the opening tie of the tournament against Egypt at 4pm.

The tournament which is making its comeback after the pandemic will be held in a round-robin format.

Apart from Japan and Egypt, other participating teams are hosts Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa, and traditional powerhouse, Pakistan.

Australia, who will not be participating this year, is the most successful team with 10 titles since the tournament began in 1983. – Bernama, October 25, 2022