JAKARTA - The Indonesian Hockey Federation (PP FHI) said that the naturalization process of four hockey athletes from Europe to strengthen the Indonesian Men's and Women's National Hockey Teams for the 2026 Asian Games is in the administrative process.
"Naturalization is in process. Hopefully, from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the parties involved in naturalization can help so that we can achieve success at the Asian Games," said PP FHI Secretary General Yasser Arafat when confirmed in Jakarta, Friday, as reported by Antara.
He explained that the four players who are in the naturalization process consist of two male and female athletes from the Netherlands and two male and female athletes from Germany.
Yasser did not mention the names of the athletes, but he confirmed that the athletes had applied to become part of the Indonesian citizens.
"Among these athletes, there are those who have played at the top level of the Dutch league," he said.
According to Yasser, the presence of naturalized players will add to the quality of the national team, especially to increase Indonesia's competitiveness against strong Asian countries that have dominated the field hockey branch.
The experience of the players who compete in Europe can have an impact on improving the quality of the game, both in terms of technique, tactics, and mental combat.
He said that if the athletes could be naturalized faster, it would further strengthen the Indonesian Field Hockey National Team at the 2026 Asian Games.
In the largest multi-branch sports event in Asia, the Indonesian Men's Field Hockey National Team has secured a ticket to appear after qualifying.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Women's Field Hockey National Team is currently still struggling in the 2026 Asian Games Qualification Championship which is currently taking place in Jakarta.
Yasser added that in addition to targeting the SEA Games, the naturalization of the four players is also to support Indonesia's field hockey struggle to achieve a big ambition, namely to appear at the 2028 Olympics.
"Our big target is that Indonesian hockey can perform in the upcoming Olympics," he said.
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