Too much reliance on singles players at junior level

KUALA LUMPUR: A similar trend of heavy dependency on singles players is taking shape in the junior ranks and it does not augur very well for Malaysian badminton. 

In the ongoing Asian Junior Championships in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, only the boys’ singles players have done well, with Soong Joo Ven (pic) making it to the quarter-finals and Soo Teck Zhi enjoying one of his best moments by making it to the final.

The others did not get past the early rounds, with some beaten in straight games without getting more than 10 points in each game.

Currently, in the senior ranks, only world No. 1 and two-time Olympic Games silver medallist Lee Chong Wei has dominated the scene for some time now by winning honours for the country.

Yesterday, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching and training chairman Ng Chin Chai admitted that the Malaysian juniors had been left far behind and more work was needed to add quality in the lower ranks. 

Chin Chai said that South Korea and Japan had joined China in leaving the others behind. 

“I was in Sabah during the team competition and it was obvious that China, South Korea and Japan have better depth in their teams. They have strong men’s and women’s players in all events,” said Chin Chai. 

“Thailand also showed that they have formidable men’s and women’s singles players. 

“As for Malaysia, we are in the same boat with Indonesia. Our singles players are relatively okay but it’s obvious that our boys’ doubles is an area that we have to look into.”

Malaysia defeated Indonesia in their Group A tie but lost to Japan in the quarter-finals, with the doubles being the culprits. 

With most of their best juniors coming through their programme in the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS), Chin Chai agreed that another review of the programme was necessary. 

“The fact is we have been left behind in some departments. We need to evaluate so that we can bridge the gap and keep abreast with the other teams,” he said.

Chin Chai, however, said that BAM had already taken a few steps to strengthen their state programmes in a bid to widen their base. They have given out RM200,000 and two coaches to each state in a bid to mobilise the state centres.

“There are about 60-70 players in these centres. Every state badminton secretary is the project manager and we monitor the progress of these players through them ... through our development committee. We started this last year and, naturally, it will take time for us to see the results,” he said. 

Currently, BJSS are the only sports school who serve as a feeder ground for the national team. There are sports schools in Johor and Pahang but there are no badminton players housed there because the schools do not come with badminton courts and do not have badminton programmes.