Malaysia’s Chong Wei Feng reacts after losing the fifth match of the semi-finals to Denmark’s Emil Holst 21-15, 21-18. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) needs to carry out a transformation on all the players following the defeat of the county’s Thomas Cup squad in the semifinals in Kunshan, China on Friday.
BAM former president Tan Sri Elyas Omar said Malaysia’s chances of winning the Thomas Cup in the next two or four years are still slim because Datuk Lee Chong Wei may no longer be playing with the team.
He pointed out that in the team there must be two players in the singles and doubles who were strong and the badminton parent body should focus on young players aged between 17 and 19 starting from now.
He said BAM must prepare the players for another six more years by giving exposure at the international level as well as training for the youth players under their care.
“In the year 1986 when I was the BAM president, I had focused on the young players such as Cheah Soon Kit, Soo Beng Kiang and Rashid Sidek.
“They were then aged in their teens and it was apparent that within a period of six years, the national squad was capable of lifting the Thomas Cup in 1992,” he said when contacted by Bernama yesterday.
Besides giving exposure to the young players, the top leadership of BAM must also assist the players in terms of psychology so that mentally, the players were always in a state of preparedness and were inspired.
“The coaches, their tasks were merely confined to training, my relationship with the players was very close, I frequently gave them inspiration and always reminded them that our target was to lift the Thomas Cup.
“If before the game, we tell the players to give focus on ‘game by game’ the players would feel that their achievement in the semifinal was sufficient, but they should have the objective right from the start to lift the Thomas Cup,” he said.
Elyas, 80, said that the look on the faces and spirit of the national players after the victory by Chong Wei and the first doubles pair of Tan Wee Kiong-Goh V Shem against Denmark yesterday did not show that they wanted victory.
He said, Chong Wei and Tan-Goh had demonstrated a strong fighting spirit, so the country’s professional doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong should not have given an easy victory after winning the first set yesterday.
“I am disappointed with the spirit of the players, especially the second doubles, they had won the first set but later their game weakened.
“Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (the men’s second singles) is still well below the young Danish player, he might have improved but it was still inadequate, BAM must think of the best strategy to improve further the level of the national singles players,” he said.
In the thrilling semifinal, world number two Chong Wei put his teammates on the winning path after grinding down reigning European champion Viktor Axelsen in a 23-21, 21-18 win.
Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong maintained the lead with an exhausting pace against Mathias Boe and Mads Conrad-Petersen with leaping overhead smashes in their 21-18, 21-18 win.
Down two points, Hans-Kristian Vittinghus wrestled back momentum from the Malaysians by remaining patient during lengthy rallies with Iskandar, whittling away his opponent’s stamina for the 21-18, 21-18 comeback.
Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen kept the Danes in the tournament with a 10-21, 21-8, 21-13 win over Kien Keat and Boon Heong.
In the dramatic fifth match of the tie, Emil Holst clinched the Danes’ final berth with a 21-15, 21-18 win over Chong Wei Feng. — Bernama/AFP