Kuala Lumpur, Jun 24 (IANS): The FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Malaysia 2023 was officially launched on Saturday at a ceremony which took place at the Mercure Living Hotel, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

On this occasion, the pools and match schedule of the tournament were revealed. Malaysia is in Group A with Argentina, Australia, and Chile, while Germany, France, South Africa, and Egypt are in Group B, India, Spain, Korea, and Canada are in Group C, and the Netherlands, Belgium, Pakistan, and New Zealand are in Group D.

The pools were established on the basis of the very first FIH Junior World Rankings.

The 16 teams from around the world will all be vying for the coveted championship title from December 5-16, 2023 at the National Hockey Stadium Bukit Jalil, which will be the competition venue for this championship.

Through a video recording, FIH President Tayyab Ikram delivered a message and congratulated the 16 teams who qualified to play in the 13th edition of the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup: "Through its 'athletes first' approach, mentioned in the new Empowerment and Engagement strategy that was recently launched, FIH has made youth a strong focus going forward. The FIH Junior World Cups play a crucial role in this regard."

"Furthermore, as one of my priorities as FIH President is to highlight the powerful contributions hockey can make outside of the sport itself for individuals, community and society - with the important topic of sustainability being an integral part of this ambition - I look forward to seeing the ways this will be realized in this event.

"Special thanks to the Malaysian Hockey Confederation as they will, as we know it, put together a fantastic show for this 13th edition of the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup!"