By V. Sivaji
The inaugural HRH Tuanku Zara Cup Invitational International Women’s Indoor Hockey Tournament 2019 will be held at the royal town of Kuala Kangsar at the Dewan Jubilee from Oct 31 to November 3, 2019.
The tournament is the continuation of the legacy of her father-in-.law, the late beloved Perak ruler Sultan Azlan Shah also known as the “Father of Malaysian Hockey”.
For the records Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is a 35-year-old legacy of the late royal to the world of hockey, by being the oldest invitational hockey tourney of our times.
In keeping with the tradition, the Inaugural Tuanku Zara Cup Indoor Tournament 2019 will see the participation of teams international teams from Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Nepal and hosts Malaysia.
Dewan Jubilee is also dubbed to have the international standard indoor pitches and facilities where tournament’s matches will be competed on a five-a-side basis.
The launching ceremony for the tournament was hled at the Casuarina Meru Hotel Ipoh officiated by Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu accompanied by Perak Sports Exco Howard Lee along with sponsors.
Meanwhile, Tuanku Zara herself was a keen sportswoman having represented the state of Perak in swimming.
She is also a certified life saver and adventure sports enthusiast.
To pay tribute to her contributions, the former Ipoh City Council (MBI) Swimming Complex has been recently renamed Tuanku Zara Aquatic Centre.
She had also called for the increase in sports facilities so that the public can benefit and participate in various sporting events.
“Serious attention should be given to explore sports as an instrument of unifying people of all races, cultures, religions, and languages by intensifying various activities, especially involving young.
“Young Malaysians who are given a larger space through various sports activities, will be healthy, active and disciplined,” she had said recently.
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