KUALA LUMPUR – Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria expressed strong confidence in national players’ potential in the imminent Paris Olympic Games, scheduled from July 26 to August 11.
Despite inconsistent performances at recent World Tour tournaments, including the Malaysia Masters, Norza emphasised that these results are not a measure of the true performance of the country’s shuttlers.
As the president of both BAM and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), Norza is optimistic that the athletes will peak at the right time for the Games.
“Winning at the Thailand Open or Singapore Open is not our ultimate goal, we want them to reach their highest performance in Paris.
“Give them the benefit of the doubt. These athletes deserve our unwavering support, especially during tough times.
“These athletes have qualified on merit and have a high chance, while some of them are already Olympians. So they know what they will face,” he told reporters, Bernama reported.
Norza also highlighted that fluctuations in game performance are part of the athlete’s journey, and continuous support is crucial for them to achieve top form for the Olympics.
“These players have qualified on merit and are among the world’s top 10. We must give our full support, particularly to Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who are ranked in the top five globally,” he added.
Five national representatives have qualified for Paris 2024, namely Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles), Goh Jin Wei (women’s singles), Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles), Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women’s doubles), and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles).
During the World Tour Asia circuit, which started with the Thailand Open from May 14-19, Zii Jia emerged victorious, while other Olympic qualifiers performed differently than expected.
In the Malaysia Masters from May 21-26, Zii Jia reached the final but lost to Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei and Pearly-Thinaah advanced to the semi-finals, Aaron-Wooi Yik reached the quarter-finals, and Jin Wei was eliminated in the second round.
The following week at the Singapore Open, Zii Jia withdrew due to injury. Aaron-Wooi Yik and Tang Jie-Ee Wei reached the quarter-finals, but Pearly-Thinaah and Jin Wei exited in the first round.
In the ongoing Indonesia Open, only Zii Jia and Pearly-Thinaah have advanced to the quarter-finals, scheduled for today. Tang Jie-Ee Wei and Aaron-Wooi Yik were eliminated in the earlier rounds. – June 7, 2024