KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has won the bid to host the 2023 International Hockey Federation (FIH) Men's Junior World Cup.

Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, who confirmed this, said he was pleased to see Malaysia being given the honour of organising the event for the fourth time.

"It reflects the FIH's trust and confidence in the MHC to organise and deliver an outstanding competition for global hockey fans. We last hosted this event over a decade ago in 2009," he said in a statement today.

Malaysia had hosted the Men's Hockey Junior World Cup in 1982 and 1989 before co-hosting it with Singapore in 2009.

Subahan expects the Junior World Cup to be a catalyst for the growth and development of the sport amongst youngsters in Malaysia and the region.

He said the MHC would work closely with all relevant parties, including the government, FIH and various stakeholders to ensure the success of the event.

"We hope conditions will have improved in 2023 and fans will be treated to stunning performances by the future stars of world hockey. We are excited to organise this event and look forward to successfully hosting it," he said, adding that further details of the event would be announced later.

-- BERNAMA