KUALA LUMPUR – The national table tennis camp is placing its hopes on six paddlers to end Malaysia’s 26-year wait to have representatives in the Olympics for next year’s edition in Paris.
National coach Beh Lee Wei said the six are Choong Javen, Leong Chee Feng and Wong Qi Shen (men), as well as Alice Chang, Ho Ying and Karen Lyne (women).
Lee Wei said Malaysia still has a chance to get back into the Olympic arena, since all six of them can get a spot in Paris through an Asian-level qualifying tournament.
“There is still a chance for us because I’ve been told that there are slots open for paddlers from Southeast Asia at the Qualifiers, though the dates and venue have not been announced yet,” she told Bernama.
Realistically, the former national paddler said Malaysia have the potential to have representatives in men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed pairs at the Paris Olympics.
The last time Malaysia had a representative at the Olympic Games was when two women paddlers, Lau Wai Cheng and Leong Mee Wan, competed in the 1998 edition in Seoul, South Korea.
Besides focusing on qualifying for the 2024 Olympics, which will be held from July 26 to August 11, Lee Wei said she will also assess the performance of the national paddlers at the 58th Malaysian Table Tennis Championships in Segamat, Johor from today to Saturday (December 30).
Lee Wei, the winner of the 2022 National Women’s Coach of the Year, said the championships in Johor will be used as a platform to decide the final list of players who will compete in the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan, South Korea from February 16-25.
“We will announce the target for the meet in South Korea next month, after the Johor championships,” she said, adding that that panel of coaches also planned to give more focus on strengthening the national junior squad next year. – December 27, 2023