HRS Sultan Azlan Shah (Sultan of Perak) was an avid supporter of field hockey throughout his life. Due to his significant contributions to the sport, he was known as the "Father of Malaysian Hockey".
He served as President of the Malaysian Hockey Federation for 21 years and was the President of the Asian Hockey Federation from 1997 until his death in 2014. He was an Executive Board member of International Hockey Federation (FIH), serving as vice-president for two terms starting in 1992. Under his leadership, Malaysia twice hosted the World Cup, in 1975 and 2002. In 1983, he founded the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, an annual hockey tournament played in Ipoh.
The FIH bi-annual award, HRH Sultan Azlan Shah Award. is dedicated to his memory.
His outstanding contribution and many years of dedicated service to the sport on the national, continental and international level earned him FIH's ‘Member of Honour' award.