Scrapped Nagoya project leaves rugby squad yearning for more
NAGOYA: The men’s national rugby sevens squad will leave the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on a bittersweet note on Sunday after achieving a fifth-place finish - equalling their best-ever performance from the 2018 Indonesia games - but also rueing what could have been.
In Nagoya, Malaysia's national rugby sevens squad concluded their Asian Games journey on a mixed note, finishing fifth after previously reaching their highest finish in 2018 Indonesia. Despite only sporadic training due to funding shortages, the squad reached the quarter-finals, losing to China and Hong Kong before defeating Uzbekistan to secure their place.
However, they were unable to overcome Hong Kong in the quarter-finals, resulting in a commendable fifth-place overall finish. The "Nagoya Programme," aimed at producing medal contenders for the 2026 Asian Games, was abruptly halted due to government funding cuts in January 2022. Head coach Nik Safuan Ismade expressed regret about the lack of a consistent training schedule, stating that only three weeks of joint training and one week in Japan were possible.
Despite this, he remains hopeful for a future long-term program to enhance Malaysia's competitiveness in rugby sevens. The women's team, meanwhile, secured eighth place overall after falling to Kazakhstan and Singapore in the classification matches.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
