KUALA LUMPUR: BA of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria has called on all parties not to doubt the capabilities of the national shuttlers despite their dismal performance in the just-concluded Malaysia Open.
He said the disappointing results have made BAM realise the need to be better prepared, with the main mission being to help the national shuttlers reach peak form at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Road to Gold (RTG) programme joint chairman said this included holding discussions with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky regarding steps to narrow the gap with their rivals ahead of the Paris Olympics on July 26-Aug 11.
"The reality is that when we organise world-class tournaments like this, it is a disappointment not just for us (BAM) but also the fans when no Malaysian shuttler managed to make the semi-finals or finals for the second year running.
"However, to me, the disappointment is more towards our status as hosts but, in terms of achievement, do not write them off yet. We must give them all the support necessary," he said.
Commenting on the individual performance of shuttlers under BAM, he said men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik performed satisfactorily but lady luck was not with them in the quarter-finals, where they lost 16-21, 21-18, 21-13 to South Korean world champions Kang Min Hyuk-Seo Seung Jae.
"For Aaron and Wooi Yik, they are among the top five pairs in the world. At any time, those in the top five can beat each other. The deciding factors on match day are luck, mentality and preparations," he said.
He also felt that the results produced by women's doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah were not too bad, considering they gave a good fight to China's Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning before going down 20-22, 15-21 in the first round.
"Pearly just recovered from an injury, but they gave a good fight to the eventual champions. Before Pearly got injured, they were capable of playing rallies.
"I think they (Pearly-Thinaah) are up there (with the best), just that we need to strengthen them physically to ensure they will have strong fitness and durability on the court," he said.
Sheng Shu-Tan Ning stunned their fifth-seeded compatriots Zhang Shu Xian-Zheng Yu 21-18, 21-18 for their maiden Super 1000 title.
On the performance of top mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, Norza said although they are on par with the world's top 10 in terms of quality, the Malaysian duo still lacked maturity and are held back by nerves.
Tan Jie-Ee Wei went down 22-24, 14-21 to Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito in the second round.
Norza also noted that men's singles ace Ng Tze Yong still needs time to regain his physical strength after the shuttler was forced to concede a walkover when trailing 12-8 against Japan's Koki Watanabe in the opening round due to a back injury.
Norza, also the Olympic Council of Malaysia president, said former world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei had the right to hit out at some national players who chose to vacation abroad before the Malaysia Open, which began on Jan 9.
He said he respected Chong Wei's views since he (Chong Wei) had experienced the highs and lows an athlete has to go through to achieve success at the highest level.
The media recently reported that Chong Wei had concluded that Malaysia's dismal performance at the Malaysian Open was due to their poor preparation ahead of the curtain-raiser for 2024.
The three-time Olympic silver medallist also questioned the conduct of several shuttlers who chose to vacation abroad during the Christmas period despite knowing that the Malaysia Open would begin on Jan 9. --BERNAMA
