PETALING JAYA: No compromise when it comes to safety of players.
This is the assurance given by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh amid the rising Covid-19 cases in Guangzhou ahead of the World Tour Finals from Dec 14-18.
“The Chinese government had tightened standard operating procedures (SOP) for the players to compete in the Finals due to the rising Covid-19 cases in Guangzhou.
“The players need to gather in Bangkok first for three days and undergo a few rounds of (Polymerase chain reaction) PCR tests before being allowed to enter Guangzhou. I believe that the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) will do the best to ensure the safety and comfort of the players,” said Kenny.
Players under the BAM who have qualified for the Finals are reigning world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles) and French Open winners Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women’s doubles).
On whether BAM might withdraw both pairs from the tournament if the situation worsens, Kenny said: “The safety of our players is our biggest priority. We won’t compromise on this. We will keep monitoring the situation. I will try to get more information on the situation in Guangzhou and the SOPs for the tournament during a BWF council meeting that will take place this week. Then we will make a decision on this.”
Besides the national players, others who have made the cut for the Finals are independent pairs Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (men’s doubles), Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien (women’s doubles), Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (mixed doubles).
Men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia is also in the running to qualify but needs to perform well in the Australian Open (Nov 15-20) in Sydney to do so.
