THE recent failure of the national badminton teams at the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup tournaments in Bangkok has raised many questions and criticisms on the future of the sport in Malaysia.
With the abundance of talent the country has, surely there is an explanation as to why we have been subjected to disappointing outcomes in recent competitions, especially events as prestigious as these two.
The women’s team ended their Uber Cup campaign in the group stage, while the men’s squad lost to eventual championship winners India 3-2 in the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup.
In this inaugural episode of More Than a Game, The Vibes’ Sports Desk sat with former national shuttler and three-time Thomas Cup silver medallist Ong Ewe Hock, along with the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) development committee chairman Datuk Ng Chin Chai, to talk about the problems currently faced by the badminton fraternity.
Although both parties had opposing views, they agreed to sit down with The Vibes’ sports editor T. Vignesh and sports writer Saktesh Subramaniam to share their thoughts and opinions on what can be done moving forward to ensure the dual cup disappointments do not repeat.
As a former player, Ong stands firm on his position that a national sporting association should have experienced and former athletes at the helm.
However, Ng says that while that would be a beneficial effort, it takes relevant managerial skills to run an association the size of BAM.
Our country’s badminton scene once used to be a powerhouse, with other nations trembling at the very sight of Malaysian players entering the court.
Today, however, we appear to have been overtaken by neighbouring nations such as India, Japan and Thailand.
What does the future look like for our beloved sport? What can be done moving forward to enable us to climb back up the ladder and reclaim our dominance when it comes to badminton?
Who should steer the ship and make the tough calls when the efforts put in fail to churn out equal results? – The Vibes, June 3, 2022
