Women in sports give us reason to celebrate

IT was 15 years ago when I made my first trip to the All-England in 2010.

I still remember vividly the occasion – it was after all the 100th edition of the oldest badminton tournament in Birmingham.

More memorably, our own Lee Chong Wei went on to win his first All-England title, after so many attempts.

He was focused, determined and took 45 minutes to beat a stubborn Kenichi Tago of Japan in the final. Chong Wei then went on to win three more in the series.

The All-England will again take centrestage next week, with Lee Zii Jia going for his second crown after the first in 2021 while former world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will be bidding for their first win. They have been on the losing end in two finals so far.

While we have had several winners in the men’s singles, doubles and even the mixed doubles through David Choong, who teamed up with homester June White in 1953, we have never had a Malaysian woman win the All-England.

With today being the International Women’s Day, I guess, one of my hopes is to see a Malaysian woman making it big in the All-England.

Disappointly, though, we don’t even have one representative in the women’s singles in this year’s edition.

Gone are the days when we had stars like Rosalind Singha Ang, Sylvia Ng; the Wong sisters - Mew Choo and Miew Kheng; the Cheah sisters - Lydia and Sonia; Ho Yen Mei, Ng Mee Fen, Tee Jing Yi - fighting for honours.

In fact, even coaches are not staying around to groom the women’s singles players. I wonder why. Jeffer Rosobin of Indonesia has become the latest to leave in a huff, passing on the headache to singles head coach Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark to revive the now dormant department.

But we can still bank on our women’s doubles darlings Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah to blaze their way to glory in Birmingham. The duo have gone through so much, dealing with injuries and high expectations, but they have always strived to achieve greatness.

Hopefully, this coming week, they will bring joy with a gung-ho performance that we have missed for so long. A victory would add to the many accolades our women have won so far, and make this year’s International Women’s Day celebration extra special.

Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri, Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid and Sawda Abdullah turned heads in the cycling scene at the recent Asian Championships.

Izzah swept a double gold in the elite category while Sawda was equally impressive in the junior ranks by winning medals and breaking records.

The girls did well to hog the limelight in the absence of Olympic medal winner Azizulhasni Awang and it augurs well for the future.

Petite Izzah in fact, deserves a special mention for her bravery on the track and her determination to be a medal getter at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In bowling, Natasha Roslan became the first woman bowler to win the World Cup while Sin Li Jane has raised the image of Malaysia bowling by ruling the professional world in recent times.

Squash star S. Sivasangari too has not lost her fire, starting the year by winning her first title of 2025 by lifting the Cincinnati Gaynor Cup.

Kudos also to water skier Aaliyah Yoong for winning gold for the first time at a world-level tournament - she splashed to three at the World University Games recently.

Much of the credit goes to her father-cum-manager Hanifah Yoong for believing in his daughter’s ability and to continue to throw his full support for her.

But not all men are like Hanifah, who care for their charges.

One former national basketball coach was arrested recently for alleged sexual harassment. Apparently, he has had taken advantage of the girls while teaching the sport in schools. Thank God some had the courage to report him.

I’m glad that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is paving the way for safe sport to ensure that every girl has a chance to take part without having to worry about her safety.

Hannah herself has been a good role model for many women sports leaders in the country.

While women’s power and influence used to be very minimal, Hannah and several others have shown that they can make a difference.

Indeed, it has been brilliant so far for females in Malaysian sport. Medal or not, they are all winners, and it’s a good time to celebrate.

> The writer has met many amazing women – and men – in her 28 years in sports journalism who have made a difference in the lives of female athletes. Many women were also behind the success of male athletes. Thank you and a blessed Women’s International Day to these people – you know who you are.