Pacific and SBA training issue solved — Liew

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KUCHING: All selected players for the state Sukma XIII badminton squad will train under state coach Dwi Ariyanto during the centralised training.

LIEW: The issue arose due to some miscommunication between the players, Pacific and SBA.

LIEW: The issue arose due to some miscommunication between the players, Pacific and SBA.

Assistant chef de mission Patrick Liew said the problem of shuttlers from Pacific Badminton Management (PBM) refusing to train under the Indonesian coach had been solved.

Liew, also Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association president, is assigned to look after badminton and tennis in Sukma.

“There is no more problem and both PBM and Sarawak Badminton Association have compromised that all their players will train under Dwi. It is only a matter of working out the training schedules,” Liew told a press conference yesterday.

He said this agreement was reached during a dialogue between both parties and himself as the meditator two weeks ago, adding that both parties are now working closely with each other.

“For now, the PBM players and those from other centres are still training at their respective centres. They will train at SBA Badminton Hall for twice or thrice a week under the head coach so that he can monitor their progress,” Liew added.

He pointed out that the issue arose due to some miscommunication between the players, PBM and SBA.

“There is nothing unusual in this because such things do happen in almost all sports associations especially when it involves private coaching, parents interference and so on.

“Whatever it is, SBA should have the final say in the matter and everybody should put the interest of the state above their own,” Liew affirmed.

He also admitted that the state badminton body should create a larger pool of good calibre players so that it would not be “at the mercy” of some top players when coming to the question of requiring them to play for the state.

For Sarawak to do well at Sukma, he believed that team spirit was very important.

“Although we have targeted to reach the semi-finals, I believe that we should motivate our players so that they can win some medals in Melaka,” he said.

Liew said by winning the medals, the players can show their appreciation to the state government and SBA who have spent so much money, time and effort in promoting badminton and preparing them for Sukma.