KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — The coaching team of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), led by Rexy Mainaky, needs to present a “new formula” to Malaysian badminton players to ensure they consistently perform well and accumulate points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Former national singles player Datuk James Selvaraj expressed concern seeing Malaysian shuttlers starting on the wrong foot in the World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour series when there were no Malaysian players in the semifinals and finals of the 2024 Malaysia Open that started on Tuesday (January 9) and ends today.
He emphasised that the coaching staff and players should be aware of the high expectations of the Malaysian people to witness their favourite athletes display high-impact performances, especially when the qualification period for the 2024 Olympic Games, which began in May last year, will end in April this year.
“It’s very disappointing not to see our players playing in our own tournament. They didn’t even make it past the quarter-finals, so it’s not very good. Hopefully they learn their lesson and coaches get together and work on a new strategy.
“Why did the players lose, and find a solution and start working on their mistakes now. Not every time lose in the first round and second rounds. In the next few months, the programme got to change. Rexy must make sure new things are implemented.”
James, a member of the 1976 Thomas Cup team that won the silver medal, described the services of a psychological expert as crucial at this time to strengthen the players’ mental resilience and to address the emotional handling methods of players who seemed shaky in the pursuit of points on the court.
“I have said this many times. Did we get the psychologists? Did we get the mental therapists to talk to the players?…they all have to sit together and come up with some ideas. If not, what should we do?
“They were not attacking enough or they were not pushing enough to get the points (reffering to the Malaysian Open) They should be doing what the opponents have done. Then they can win but if they don’t, how can they win?,” he said
Meanwhile, former national men’s doubles player Koo Kien Keat said that shuttlers should not be disturbed while undergoing training regimes in this era of social media if they want to place themselves among the world’s best.
The champion of the 2007 All England and gold medallist at the 2006 Asian Games alongside Tan Boon Heong said that victory is achieved depending on how much will and responsibility players emphasise on their personal progress each time they participate in a tournament.
“The most important thing is the players’ will to win because if not, no matter how much advice is given, it won’t work. Victory is not only for the Malaysia Open but also for other major tournaments like the Olympic Games.
“Athletes can use social media to show their personal lives and training, but they must remember we are not celebrities. You will get people’s attention, but I think you need to balance it because results are the number one priority for an athlete, not just a large following,” he said.
According to the qualification criteria for Paris 2024, a total of 35 quota places, one for the host country, and two global quota places are allocated for individual events. A country can have a maximum of two players in a single individual category if both are in the top 16 positions at the end of the Race to Paris qualification period on April 28.
Meanwhile, each country has a maximum quota of two places for team events if both pairs are in the top eight positions on the qualification date, and there must be at least one global pair.
— Bernama
