The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh from May 24 to June 3 will be a seven-team affair led by world No. 4 ranked Britain. The other five invited teams are also in the top 10 while hosts Malaysia are the lowest ranked side at number 13. Britain are followed by sixth-ranked South Korea, New Zealand (7th), Pakistan (8), Argentina, (9) and India (10). The tournament will serve as a warm-up for the London Olympic Games starting on July 27. The teams will also benefit from playing on the new blue turf, which is similar to the one at the Olympics.
Britain, New Zealand, Pakistan and Argentina have already booked their Olympic berths while India, South Korea and Malaysia will be playing in the qualifiers. Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) secretary Maninderjit Singh said they are glad that the teams for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup have been finalised. “The tournament will be the perfect preparation for the teams going to London. I am sure they will send their best players,” he said. World champions Australia, who are regulars in the tournament, are unable to make it this time. Holland, Germany and Spain, who make up the top 10, are also unavailable.
