KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 — A total of 124 participants, comprising senior and junior shuttlers, will be taking part in the Mixed Team Championships of Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
The internal tournament kicking off tomorrow until Nov 25 at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM), Bukit Kiara, is part of the plan to ensure all players remain at the optimum level.
BAM coaching director Wong Choong Hann said the competition will follow the same concept or format as the Sudirman Cup with 11 matches to be held involving men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles as well as men’s and women’s team of three (3’s) events.
“They will be divided into four teams. Each team having 31 senior and junior players. We are giving this opportunity for the younger players to play against their seniors with the hope they can gain exposure from this as a motivation for them to work harder.
“The combination of senior and junior players is aimed at giving all players the opportunity to get a feel of a competitive atmosphere following the absence of actual competitions this year.
“At the same time, we want to build team spirit and form cooperation among the players in the stable,” said Wong in the statement here today.
Wong added, this competition is not aimed at preparing any of the players for the first international tournament which has been scheduled to take place in January 2021.
He believes through the training programme and internal competition drafted by the coaching panel and BAM management at this time, will ensure everyone is on the same level of preparedness.
“We are not worried about preparing players ahead of the competition in January 2021 because we have to be prepared for whatever happens. There is no need to worry about the current situation because if the focus is fully given throughout the training sessions, the returns will almost be the same as during competitions,” he said. — Bernama
