PETALING JAYA: As disappointing as Malaysia’s recent Thomas Cup campaign was, there is no need for a “knee-jerk reaction”, says Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary Datuk Kenny.
Malaysia’s 34-year wait to reclaim the prestigious Thomas Cup title continued after their quarter-final exit in Horsens, but Kenny emphasised that the result should not trigger panic or drastic changes.
Instead, Kenny stressed that the governing body remain committed to their long-term development plan, with a clear roadmap leading up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and believes the national team are still progressing in the right direction.
"We have a roadmap for LA 2028. And within that plan, we have set several milestones that we aim to achieve," he said when met at the Academy Badminton Malaysia yesterday.
"There are, of course, some milestones that we can achieve and some that we can’t reach. What’s important is also seeing why we could not reach those targets.
"But we can’t have knee-jerk reactions every time we lose a competition."
Looking ahead, Kenny added that the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4, is among the milestones in the BAM roadmap, and the national body will continue to assess the squad’s performance in the lead-up to the Asiad.
"The Asian Games is among the milestones and it’s something the performance committee will discuss and decide.
"As long as we are on the roadmap and are getting the milestones that we set, then we are on the right track," he said.
