KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) is taking an approach of not putting too much pressure on the country’s men’s singles player Ng Tze Yong in his pursuit of a slot at the 2024 Paris Olympics following his injuries.
BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said while Ng, who is scheduled to participate in two Olympic qualifying tournaments, the French Open from March 5 to March 10, followed by the All England from March 12 to March 17, he will be given space to fully recover first.
Ng was confirmed to be suffering from spinal pain due to an injury sustained during the 2024 Asian Team Badminton Championship (BATC) in Shah Alam last week.
“As we all know, he suffered a serious injury. Of course, we hope this injury will not prevent his participation in the Olympic qualification tournament.
“However, we value Tze Yong’s health more than the qualifications. We do not want him to compete if it will cause lasting injuries that are difficult to treat,” he told the press at the Bukit Kiara Badminton Academy Malaysia (ABM) today.
Norza said the governing body takes a more cautious attitude in dealing with the injury issue and hoped for the best for the 23-year-old player.
“I think we have to look in detail at the medical report on whether he could continue participating in the qualifying tournament or not.
“I also want the parties involved to discuss with him. We do not want to force him if he is not ready yet. I hope the National Sports Institute (ISN) and the coaching staff can help plan and see which tournaments he can participate in,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BAM has confirmed that Ng has decided to skip the two qualifying tournaments since he would be undergoing treatment.
According to its statement, after discussing with his team, it was agreed the main focus should be on Ng’s rehabilitation after going through minor surgery on his back next week.
“The surgery will prevent Tze Yong from badminton for two to six weeks. The focus now is on treatment and recovery.
“Once he recovers and is ready, we will meet to discuss the next possible action. For the time being, we want him to focus on treatment and overcome his injury,” said BAM coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
— Bernama
