Going all out: Yen Mei (right) in action during the Asia Pacific Air Badminton Championships in Port Dickson. — NBL International
PETALING JAYA: There is still room for Malaysia to strengthen its presence in air badminton despite missing out on a slot for the inaugural World Cup to be held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from Dec 11 to 14.
At the Asia Pacific Air Badminton Championships in Port Dickson, which concluded on Sunday, Malaysia missed out on qualification after finishing fourth in the team relay, with only three slots available.
China and Indonesia will join champions Hong Kong at the year-end event.
Former women’s singles shuttler Ho Yen Mei, who was one of the key players in the Malaysian squad at the tournament, believes the nation still has potential in the sport as it is relatively new.
However, she stressed that it must be given proper attention and preparation.
“We have potential in this sport, and it is not that different from regular badminton, except that it uses a different type of shuttle and is played on sand.
“In terms of players, there is a big gap between us and players from other countries. You can see that Hong Kong came well-prepared and went on to become champions.
“For us, we have a lot of shortcomings physically. Fortunately, I am still actively playing and maintaining my stamina because this is a demanding sport,” said the 29-year-old Yen Mei.
The last time Yen Mei played for the Malaysian national squad was at the Asian Mixed Team Championships in Hong Kong in 2019 (previously known as the Tong Yun Kai Cup) before parting ways with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in 2020.
Of the eight players in the national squad for this tournament, Yen Mei was the only one with extensive international experience, while the rest were players under the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA).
Malaysia reached the semi-finals of the team relay but lost 47-60 to Indonesia. In the men’s triples, the national squad went down 3-1 to South Korea, while the women’s triples campaign ended in the group stage.
Despite the defeats, Yen Mei does not see it as a disappointment. Instead, she views it as the first step towards Malaysia taking this discipline of badminton seriously, as it has the potential to bring success to the country in the future.
“If given another chance, I would love to play again as this sport is very enjoyable. We just need to prepare more thoroughly,” added Yen Mei.
Air badminton was first introduced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in 2019.
Malaysia also hosted the World Beach Games Asian Qualifiers in 2023 in Putrajaya.
