KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) promise to be exhilarating, as most teams have confirmed their top players for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals qualifier.
India and South Korea are among the teams that have confirmed their strongest lineup for the BATC in Selangor on Feb 13-18.
Another contributing factor is that some top players are also after valuable ranking points that will contribute towards their Olympic qualification process.
National men's doubles coach Tan Bin Shen said the top players will utilise the BATC as a platform to maintain their competitive edge, given the absence of World Tour events between the Super 300 Thailand Masters (Jan 30-Feb 4) and the German Open (Feb 27-Mar 3)."
"The BATC this year will be different from two years ago because some teams will be sending in their strongest lineup.
"There are a few contributing factors to this. No. 1 is because it's the Olympic qualifying year, and some players are after valuable ranking points.
"Another reason is because there is a long break between World Tour events, players will want to maintain that tournament feel," said Bin Shen.
When asked if this meant world No. 4 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik would be part of the team again, Bin Shen coyly replied: "This, we have to wait for coach Rexy Mainaky to make the announcement."The deadline to finalise the team list is on Friday.
In 2022, the Malaysian men's team led by former All England champion Lee Zii Jia and Aaron-Wooi Yik, clinched their maiden BATC title when they defeated Indonesia 3-0 in the final, while the women's team made it to the semi-finals.
