KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s table tennis head coach Beh Lee Wei is hoping that the game will gain more international exposure in the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
She said that her charges needed to participate in at least six championships that offer qualifying points to book a slot in the Paris Games, and hoped that the National Sports Council and the Olympic Council of Malaysia would do their best to help them qualify.
“Many local fans are finally seeing the potential of our national players after their two silver medal wins at the 2022 Birmingham Games.
“That’s why we want to maintain the momentum we gained in Birmingham by focusing efforts to ensure Malaysians will compete at 2024 Paris. Hopefully, the players will gain more international exposure as this will help them rake up the points they need to qualify for the Olympics,” she said recently.
She also urged other parties, especially corporations, to provide assistance and sponsorship to the national squad as a way to develop the sport of table tennis in the country.
The qualifying campaign for the 2024 Olympics is scheduled to begin in June next year. The last time Malaysian table tennis players competed in the Olympics was in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, with Leong Mee Wan and Lau Wai Cheng representing the country.
Besides preparing for the Olympics, Lee Wei said the team was also getting ready for the 2023 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which is taking place from May 5 to 17, followed by the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from September 10 to 25 next year.
“If there is sufficient budget, we plan to conduct a training camp abroad to prepare for the SEA Games and Asian Games,” she added. – Bernama, October 16, 2022
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