KUALA LUMPUR − The faith placed on national junior players to carry Malaysia’s challenge in the Sudirman Cup, Thomas Cup and Uber Cup should be fully utilised, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director, Wong Choong Hann, said.
Wong said that BAM’s decision to list junior players was the right approach, especially with its efforts to provide a platform to evaluate their capabilities.
He also admitted that the decision was in part to prepare the best squad for the 2024 Olympic Games, adding that the three championships were the best opportunities for junior players to go against top-ranked players.
“Young players should make the most of this opportunity to gain knowledge and experience because we know with the competition system that has several tiers, most young players need over a year before they even have a chance to play against the top 30- or top 20-ranked players in the world,” he said during a media conference yesterday after a coaching and training committee meeting at the Malaysian Badminton Academy.
The squad list for all three championships BAM issued yesterday comprised of junior players, with the average age for the Sudirman Cup being 22 years and the oldest player being 26-year-old mixed doubles player, Cheah Yee See.
For the Thomas Cup championship, the average age of the team is 23 with five 24-year-old players, while the average age for the Uber Cup squad is 21, led by the oldest, 27-year-old women’s double player, Lee Meng Yean.
Wong also hoped that the players would learn and evaluate the level of difference between their performance and higher-ranked players so that they would be able to train harder with clearer goals and targets.
The Sudirman Cup is scheduled to take place in Vantaa, Finland from September 26 to October 3, while the Thomas and Uber Cup finals will be in Aarhus, Denmark from October 9 to 17.
Wong also said that every player had the chance to be fielded and denied there would be any ‘passengers’ on the squad at all three championships.
He added that if there happened to be ‘passengers’ during the tournaments, that would mean the main national players were performing consistently.
“We will take the best measures to expose all of them − technically, that is − in the picture,” he stressed.
The national squad will leave for Finland on September 21. – Bernama, September 12, 2021
