{
  "id": 11823002,
  "title": "Scrapped Nagoya project leaves rugby squad yearning for more",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/scrapped-nagoya-project-leaves-rugby-squad-yearning-for-more",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-04T02:29:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2026/10/1547248/scrapped-nagoya-project-leaves-rugby-squad-yearning-more"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "Malaysia's rugby sevens squad finished fifth at Asian Games 2022.",
    "Government funding cuts halted the Nagoya Programme in January 2022.",
    "Women's team secured eighth place after losses to Kazakhstan and Singapore."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The scrapped Nagoya project’s demise means Malaysia's rugby squad must forgo a structured path to enhancing their competitiveness ahead of the 2026 Asian Games, dampening their medal hopes.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}