KUALA LUMPUR – National Sports Institute (NSI) commercial branch head S. Nishel Kumar has been appointed chief executive of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) effective March 1.
MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said that besides handling the confederation’s governance, Nishel Kumar had also been tasked with launching the hosting of the 2023 Junior World Cup to be held at the National Hockey Stadium from December 5-16, which the MHC intends to be the best held in the tournament’s history.
Subahan also announced that Perak Hockey Association president Mohd Sayuti Abdul Samat, 65, would replace him as MHC coaching director while Sayuti’s post as MHC executive committee member would be taken over by Selangor Hockey Association president S. Ganesh.
“We have obtained the NSI’s approval for Nishel to be loaned to the MHC. Nishel, being a former national player with 84 caps, knows the ins and outs of hockey, in addition to having academic qualifications in the field of sports science.
“Sayuti also played for the national team as a goalkeeper, amassing 45 caps. One of his tasks will be to ensure the upgrading of the coaches,” he said at the National Hockey Development Programme (NHDP) planning workshop here today.
The contract of previous chief executive Nor Faraha Hashim ended at the end of last year.
Nishel Kumar, who played as a forward with the national team from 1996 to 2004, had also featured in the 1991 and 2003 editions of the Asia Cup, besides helping the country win the gold medal at the 1999 Brunei SEA Games.
Nishel Kumar, who used to hold the post of senior assistant director of the Malaysian Anti-Doping Agency, had also served as the head of operations for the KL SEA Games Anti-Doping Programme, in addition to being on duty at the 2022 Tokyo Olympics and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.
Meanwhile, Subahan said that the NHDP is on the right track to unearthing new talent, with about 5,500 hockey players training in 110 centres at various levels nationwide.
Nishel Kumar, 45, hopes that his close rapport with almost all of the national coaches would help him become the bridge that connects the coaches and players with the management team.
“I have played with most of the coaches like (Speedy Tigers head coach) A. Arul Selvaraj, Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim (Malaysian Tigresses), Lailin Abu Hassan (Young Tigresses) and Muhamad Amin Rahim (Young Tigers), so I feel like I’m back home.
“I believe they will be open to me and we can talk directly to find solutions,” he said, adding that he is still passionate about hockey as he has been conducting development courses for B40 children in Kajang for the past few years. – Bernama, March 3, 2023
