KUALA LUMPUR – Former badminton men’s singles shuttler Ong Ewe Hock has urged Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) to look for more potential players at the junior level beyond just achievements.
He said that instead of only searching for top players, they should also look at players who have yet to peak.
Taking legendary badminton shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei as an example, Ewe Hock said the former only peaked after he was 19 years old.
“Take Chong Wei as an example. When he was under 18, he did not produce many results, but proved himself only after that.
“When we only focus on top players, we do not give the rest a chance to prove themselves.
“It is important that we give a chance to all other players too,” he said when met at a press conference for his namesake tournament, the Ong Ewe Hock Cup, in Bukit Jalil here today.
The tournament will be held on March 11-12 at USM Sports Complex in Bukit Gelugor, Penang.
The former world No. 2, who is one of the members of the ABM Technical Advisory Panel (TAP), also stressed that Malaysia had missed out on former world champion Loh Kean Yew, who represents Singapore and is ranked No. 8 in the world.
Penang-born Kean Yew was offered a scholarship by the Singapore Sports School at the age of 13.
As some junior players tend to bloom in the later stages of their career, Ewe Hock added that the national setup should have a bigger player pool and give a chance to every player to develop themselves.
“We need to focus on the development of each junior player, not just the good ones. Some juniors produced results instantly, but there are also others who saw success at the later stages of their career.
“Like in Penang, many good players are from there. There are latecomers who have not been selected carefully like Kean Yew.
“He is considered a late bloomer. But now he is one of the top players in the world.
“We always take the first and second-best players but ignore the rest,” he added.
Meanwhile, Roslin Hashim, who is also a member of TAP, said the establishment provided its members transparency to give ABM and BAM input and ideas to improve players’ performance.
Following their first meeting yesterday, he said the suggestions shared during the session could help ABM coaches solve challenges with their players.
“I am sure the current management has done their best to provide support for the players, but there is always room for improvement. That is why we are here to help fill the gap.
“We were once players before and we know the struggle to be a champion and maintain performance,” said Roslin.
Currently, TAP has a total of 14 members comprising seven badminton greats.
Other than Roslin, Ewe Hock, and Chong Wei, they are Koo Kien Keat, Tan Boon Heong, Datuk Cheah Soon Kit, and Datuk Seri Jalani Sidek.
Other members are National Sports Council director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli, and Kedah Badminton Association president Datuk Teoh Teng Chor.
The committee also includes BAM officials – president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, development committee chairman Datuk Ng Chin Chai, secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh – as well as former NSI chief executive Datuk Ramlan Abd Aziz. – The Vibes, March 1, 2023
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