SEPANG – National top men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong has been the topic of conversation of late soon after he was announced to compete in the 20th Malaysia Games (Sukma) scheduled for September 20-24 at the Axiata Arena.
The Birmingham Commonwealth Games silver medallist will certainly be the top seed in the men’s singles in Sukma as he represents Johor.
Sukma was originally scheduled to be held in Johor in 2020, but was postponed until 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
There have been concerns around the badminton fraternity that Tze Yong’s credentials might disrupt Sukma’s function of unearthing new and raw talents amongst junior athletes.
However, Johor Badminton Association (JBA) president Mat Rasid Jahlil assured that would not be the case.
He told The Vibes it was only “fair” for the world number 39 to compete in Sukma as he did not have the chance to do so in 2020.
“He was already listed to play in the 2020 (Sukma) edition, but the Covid-19 pandemic caused the event to be postponed,” Rasid said.
“So I think it is only fair for him to join this year because he had prepared four years for this.
“We (JBA) are actually very lucky that he gets to play.”
The 22-year-old shuttler became eligible to compete at this year’s edition after the organisers decided to raise the age limit to 23 from 21 and below, as athletes had begun preparing long before the pandemic struck in early 2020.
Rasid opined that the biennial event will be good training for whoever faces Tze Yong as they will have to go up against more capable opponents in the future.
“It is not every day that state players get to play against national athletes, especially ones with an international resume.
“Now is the right time to see the effectiveness of each state’s grassroots development and discover new talents.
“Tze Yong did not win the competition when he competed at the 2018 Sukma in Perak, but look where he is now.
“Let’s take this situation and do the same for others (junior athletes),” added Rasid.
Meanwhile, National Sports Council director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail also noted that the basic principle of Sukma is to give state athletes the opportunity to take part.
He added that each state deserves respect and recognition as their athletes represent their homes.
“We have tried to give junior athletes in the country as much opportunity as we can to compete in Sukma, at least.
“Besides that, we have other ways to encourage competitiveness among young athletes from 15 until 21 years old.
“They can also compete on behalf of their school through MSSM (Malaysia Sports School Council), while the national junior championships will be organised by the national sports association,” Shapawi explained. – The Vibes, September 18, 2022
