PETALING JAYA: A combination of national and independent players will be called up for the Asian Mixed Team Championships from Feb 14-19 in Dubai.
The tournament, which was not held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will serve as the qualifier for the Sudirman Cup from May 14-21 in Suzhou, China.
“We will select a combination of BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) and professional players for the Asian Mixed Team Championships.
“We will release the names of the players soon,” said national singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann after attending a joint committee meeting between the BAM and the National Sports Council (NSC).
A total of 16 players – eight men and eight women – will be chosen for the tournament.
“We have held discussions with some of the key players on working together for this tournament and also further ahead for the Sudirman Cup,” said Choong Hann.
“It’s going to be a busy season with the qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics starting in May.
“The professional players have plans on how to conserve their energy and prepare both physically and mentally for the second half of the year.
“We have come up with a proposal that suits both BAM and independent players.”
According to the current world rankings, the players selected could be world No. 2 Lee Zii Jia, world No. 27 Ng Tze Yong (men’s singles); world No. 29 Goh Jin Wei (women’s singles); reigning world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (No. 3), world No. 8 Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (men’s doubles); Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (No. 8), Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien (No. 17); world No. 6 Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and world No. 7 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (mixed doubles).
In the last edition in 2019 in Hong Kong, Malaysia were beaten 0-3 in the quarter-finals by eventual runners-up Japan. China were crowned champions after edging Japan 3-2 in the final.
