PETALING JAYA: “If you do not want to stay at the hostel, then go get married.”
That was the suggestion of national No. 2 men’s doubles player Aaron Chia to teammates who are still unwilling to follow rules within the national set-up, including staying at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) hostel in Bukit Kiara.
However, the rule only applies to unmarried players, with married shuttlers such as Aaron allowed to commute from home due to family commitments.
For Aaron, players should not make it an issue as it is part of the rules within the national team.
He also gave the example of China, where similar rules are implemented even more strictly.
“I think rules are rules. If you stay at ABM, then you have to follow the rules here. If you do not want to stay here, then go get married, for example.
“As far as I know, other countries also have similar rules. In China, I think even married players have to stay at the hostel, although maybe things have changed now.
“But if those are the rules, then we just have to follow them,” said Aaron.
Aaron also denied claims that players are not allowed to go out at night, but stressed they still have to follow the curfew set by ABM's management.
However, he does not encourage players to do so too often as it could affect training the next day.
“I think players can still go out, there are just curfew hours. If you have training the next day, then you need to rest early. For me, if you are not married, it is not a big issue to stay at ABM,” he added.
Several national players are currently being monitored by Badminton Association of Malaysia's (BAM) top management for repeatedly breaking rules, including refusing to stay at the ABM hostel.
BAM performance committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has also said he will no longer compromise and plans to issue a final warning before bringing the matter to BAM council members for further action.
