KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today announced a 20-strong member squad for the 2019 SEA Games in Philippines in November.
Led by national number one men’s singles Lee Zii Jia, the list would also feature 2017 SEA Games women’s singles gold medallist Goh Jin Wei alongside debutants and rising stars Lim Chong King and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin.
BAM coaching sirector Wong Choong Hann said that they were looking at the experienced players to lead the way and inspire the young and upcoming players to fight for Malaysia’s honour.
He said that the SEA Games would serve as a platform for the players to live up to the expectations and bring glory to the country.
“We want to expose these players at a younger level so they will be prepared at an earlier stage to carry the Malaysian flag and stand at the forefront of the battlefield.
“They (Chong King and Aidil) have earned their spots by showing promise in the last few tournaments that they have participated in. We want to fast-track their development by them gaining valuable experience at a bigger stage,” he said in a statement today.
The 19-year-old Chong King, claimed the Hellas Open men singles crown in Greece by triumphing over compatriot Aidil Sholeh in the all-Malaysian final on Sunday.
BAM also have set an official target of two gold medals in the Games which would be held from Nov 30 till Dec 11.
“The target set for this team is two gold medals, it definitely is no easy task. But, we wanted to go for an objective that is reasonably challenging for both the players and coaching team,” he added.
For the record, the national badminton squad bagged one gold, five silver and two bronze medals in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia’s full squad for the 2019 SEA Games:
Men: Lee Zii Jia, Soong Joo Ven, Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik, Teo Ee Yi, Ong Yew Sin, Goh Soon Huat, Tan Kian Meng, Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, Lim Chong King
Women: Goh Jin Wei, Soniia Cheah, Lee Ying Ying, S. Kisona, Chow Mei Kuan, Lee Meng Yean, Vivian Hoo, Yap Cheng Wen, Shevon Lai, Lai Pei Jing. — Bernama
