KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is hopeful that national men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong will recuperate in time from his latest injury before the Olympic qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics end in April.
Hannah admitted that she was concerned about Tze Yong’s situation after he injured his spine in the recent Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024 in Shah Alam.
“I hope Tze Yong focuses on recovery. Hopefully, he recuperates in time for the qualifier (2024 Olympic Games),” she said after launching the National Amateur Golf Series 2024 here today.
Tze Yong, who was fielded in the BATC 2024 quarter-final clash against Singapore’s Jason Teh on Friday (Feb 16), lasted just three minutes before retiring while trailing 1-3 in the first game.
The 23-year-old player is currently ranked 15th in the Race to Paris ranking with 58,735 points.
According to the qualification criteria for the Paris 2024 Olympics, a total of 35 quota places, one for the host country, and two global spots are allocated for individual events.
A country can have a maximum of two players in a single category if both are in the top 16 positions at the end of the Race to Paris qualification period, scheduled for April 28.
Hannah also declined comment on the performance of the national men’s squad, who emerged runners-up in BATC 2024 and failed to defend their 2022 edition title after losing 0-3 to China in the final on Sunday.
Separately, Hannah said the ministry would collect data from golf course operators nationwide to introduce affordable packages, providing opportunities for the less privileged to experience the sport.
She said the initiative to introduce reasonable prices offered in the upcoming packages would counter the perception that golf is only for the elite.
Hannah also said that 1,680 participants would compete in the National Amateur Golf Series 2024 championship, held in 14 states, scheduled to begin at The Mines Resort and Golf Club on Feb 29 and end at Forest City Golf Resort in Johor where the competition will take place from Sept 8-10.
The open championship allows the champion to represent the country at the World Amateur Golfers Championship (WAGC) in Phuket, Thailand, from Oct 26 to Nov 3. — Bernama
