Get your act right BAM

Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong were a massive failure at the World Championships in Guangzhou.

Get your act right, BAM

I HAVE to admit that I have a soft spot for men’s doubles shuttler Koo Kien Keat.

I vividly remember his superb display of talent, style and aggression when he made his debut at the 2004 Thomas Cup Finals in Jakarta as a 19-year-old teenager.

He was so full of fire back then.

Together with Chew Choon Eng, they nearly pulled off an upset over Indonesia’s Eng Hian-Flandi Limpele.

Malaysia lost 3-1 in the quarter-finals – and it was Kien Keat’s baptism of fire.

I have always found him to be a charming and respectful person, one who had good communication skills too.

He achieved great success with Chan Chong Ming for two years and soared to even greater heights with Tan Boon Heong.

With Boon Heong, they achieved their breakthrough win at the 2006 Doha Asian Games final.

Malaysian badminton then enjoyed a six-month period of unprecedented success as Kien Keat-Boon Heong won the All-England, Malaysian Open and Japan Open.

Now, I have to admit that I still pine for the “old” Kien Keat to resurface on the badminton court – you know, the one who was gung-ho, passionate and driven – that all one could do was just stand in awe of him.

On Friday, though, Kien Keat-Boon Heong went down with a whimper in the quarter-finals of the World Championships to their bogeymen Kim Ki-jung-Kim Sa-rang of South Korea for the fourth time.

Kien Keat and Boon Heong gave several reasons for their failures. 

Basically, they were harping on the lack of support and appreciation from the fans; the lack of results despite the hard work put in over the last one month; and that their opponents were better than them.

I was surprised that neither came clean about their own shortcomings.

Frankly, the writings have been on the wall for Kien Keat-Boon Heong for some time now.

The rot probably set in about two to three years ago – either after they had reached the final of the 2010 World Championships in Paris or after the 2011 All-England.

That was when it all began to go wrong for them.

They started losing to lower ranked pairs; there were problems between them as a pair; there were conflicts between them and their former coach Rexy Mainaky; and there were also issues with their discipline.

Now, their future hangs in the balance.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will meet soon to decide on their fate following their failure to meet the target set for them in Guangzhou – a place in the final.

They could either be dropped or split up.

I have to admit that, at one stage, I wanted them to be dropped for good – especially after they failed to land a medal at the London Olympic Games.

Now, after speaking to three supremos - Park Joo-bong (Japan), Finn-Traerup Hansen (Denmark) and Rexy – at the World Championships, I feel that there are several viable options available to the duo.

The best, probably, will be to split them up and pair them up with younger players.

Kien Keat is 27 and Boon Heong is 25. With their vast experience, they can certainly be counted on to guide their younger team-mates.

But, first things first, Kien Keat and Boon Heong must change their ways and toe the line.

Joo-bong said discipline is the key to success. 

For Rexy, it’s self-motivation while Hansen believes it’s experience.

If Kien Keat-Boon Heong can combine these three attributes, then they can start afresh and truly be a role model for young aspiring shuttlers.

But I do feel that the BAM need to get their act right in the first place.

They had failed to stop the rot in Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s game. They did not tackle the disciplinary issues promptly. 

They also failed to create an environment conducive for players and coaches to trust one another and work together. 

Hopefully, new BAM president Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff will be more hands-on and will listen to all parties involved – players and coaches – before making any decision regarding Kien Keat-Boon Heong.

It’s still not too late to salvage their careers by giving them new partners and new motivation as well as setting them new goals and new challenges.

The shuttle is in your court, BAM.