Now, the country celebrating him loudest is Indonesia.
The 54-year-old Malaysian was honoured as Indonesia’s Best Coach across all sports at the Game Changer Award 2026 ceremony in Jakarta on Saturday.
It was recognition for a remarkable rise that has transformed the republic into one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing hockey nations.
More than a decade after being named Malaysia’s Coach of the Year in 2013, Dharma Raj has now earned top coaching honours in two countries.
“It means a lot because this recognition is for everyone who believed hockey could grow in Indonesia,” Dharma Raj said from Jakarta.
“We started from very humble beginnings. Today, people are talking seriously about hockey here and that gives me great satisfaction.”
He also paid tribute to Federasi Hockey Indonesia (FHI) secretary-general Yasser Arafat, whom he described as the key figure who trusted his long-term plans for the sport.
“Yasser and FHI gave me the freedom and support to build properly. Without them, none of this would have happened,” said Dharma Raj.
For Malaysian hockey fans, Dharma Raj’s achievements come as little surprise.
The former national player represented Malaysia from 1989 to 1994 and competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics before building a strong reputation as one of the country’s finest coaches.
He guided Malaysia to the 2012 Junior Asia Cup title and later steered the national juniors to fourth place at the 2013 Junior World Cup, still one of the country’s best finishes at the tournament.
Those achievements earned him Malaysia’s Coach of the Year award in 2013.
At club level, he also turned Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club into a dominant force, winning eight Malaysian Hockey League titles.
Yet the chapter that reshaped his career began after his departure from Malaysian hockey.
Building something new
Dharma Raj left the Malaysian setup in 2020 after contracts involving national coaches were not renewed following the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
He had just guided Malaysia’s women’s indoor hockey team to gold.
Instead of reapplying for the role, he accepted an offer from Indonesia.
The move started with West Java’s provincial programme before Dharma Raj took over as technical director of FHI in 2021.
At the time, hockey remained a minor sport in Indonesia.
“There were people asking, ‘What hockey?’” Dharma Raj said with a laugh.
“There was little structure and not many players, but the young athletes had incredible hunger.”
He immediately began building from the ground up.
Trials were held across provinces and young talent was identified in remote regions. Coaching systems were strengthened. Grassroots programmes expanded.
Today, Dharma Raj trains Indonesia’s men’s and women’s squads in indoor hockey, outdoor hockey and Hockey5s while overseeing a coaching structure.
Indonesia’s national hockey teams now look vastly different from the squads he first inherited.
The sport’s growing status became even clearer recently when the teams were invited to meet vice-president Gibran Rakabuming Raka following their SEA Games performances and qualification for the 2026 Asian Games.
Dharma Raj said the vice-president praised the teams’ achievements and pledged continued support for hockey development at all levels.
“That was an important moment for the players because it showed the country is taking hockey seriously,” said Dharma Raj.
“The support now comes not only from the federation but also from the government and private sponsors.”
Under Dharma Raj, the men’s and women’s teams qualified on merit for back-to-back Asian Games — first in Hangzhou and now for Aichi-Nagoya in Japan later this year.
For him, that achievement matters more than a single medal.
“It shows consistency and growth,” he said. “It means our programme is moving in the right direction.”
The moment everything shifted
Still, one day changed Indonesian hockey forever.
At the 2023 SEA Games final in Cambodia, Indonesia trailed Malaysia 3-0 with just over five minutes left in the men’s indoor hockey final.
Dharma Raj made a bold decision.
He removed his goalkeeper and launched an aggressive power play.
Indonesia scored three goals in three frantic minutes, including an equaliser with two seconds left, before defeating Malaysia in a penalty shootout.
The upset stunned Southeast Asian hockey.
“It was total courage from the players,” Dharma Raj recalled. “We had trained for that situation many times. The players believed they could still come back.”
The victory changed how Indonesia viewed hockey almost overnight.
Players became national heroes. Public interest surged. Government agencies and private sponsors began paying attention to the sport.
Today, every Indonesian national hockey player is employed by either the police or armed forces, giving young athletes a clear future in the game.
“That support changed many lives,” said Dharma Raj. “Parents now see hockey differently because their children can build careers through the sport.”
Indonesia later defended the SEA Games indoor title in 2025, again beating Malaysia after another tense final.
The country has also increased support for long-term development.
In late 2025, the men’s team toured Europe, spending three weeks in Hamburg and another week in Spain as part of preparations for major international competitions.
The programme received strong backing from government authorities and sponsors, reflecting Indonesia’s growing ambition to raise its profile in Asian hockey.
Dharma Raj believes the progress remains only the beginning.
“We don’t have a big pool of players like Malaysia because many start at 16 or 17,” he said.
“But even at that age, they improve very quickly because they are hungry to succeed.”
Still Malaysian at heart
Despite his success abroad, Dharma Raj has never hidden his love for Malaysia.
Indonesia offered him citizenship before the 2023 SEA Games to keep him involved in the country’s long-term hockey plans.
But he chose to remain Malaysian.
Dharma Raj revealed that Indonesia’s sports minister jokingly reminded him during Saturday’s awards ceremony that the offer of citizenship still remained open.
He laughed off the remark, but admitted he was touched by the gesture and the appreciation shown towards him in Indonesia.
Family considerations played a role, but emotion mattered too.
Even today, he admits hearing Negaraku still affects him deeply, especially when he stands in the opposing dugout.
“That feeling never disappears,” he said. “Malaysia is still my home.”
Malaysian grassroots hockey figure Suhaimi Sun Abdullah believes Dharma Raj’s latest honour should make Malaysians proud.
“His success proves Malaysian coaches can compete and succeed internationally,” said Suhaimi.
“He has inspired players, developed systems and shown what strong leadership can achieve.”
For Dharma Raj, however, the work continues.
Indonesia still lacks a strong domestic league structure. More talent must be discovered. More schools and universities must embrace hockey.
But the foundations are now firmly in place.
A sport once ignored in the republic now receives government backing, media attention and growing participation among young players.
And at the centre of that transformation stands a Malaysian coach who rebuilt his career across the Straits of Malacca — without ever forgetting where he came from.