KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 – In days of uncertainty, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) delivered an unkind cut when the national badminton body announced a shock decision that has left many reeling – dropping five key players from the national team with immediate effect.
What more when some of them – mixed doubles Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and even women’s singles Soniia Cheah – are still in contention for a place in the Tokyo Olympics.
With the Chinese New Year around the corner, this is not the Ang Pow they were expecting. Only the players who are dropped know what they are going through now.
It is a cruel way to sever their badminton links with the national body. Badminton is their livelihood but BAM, you chose to throw sand in their rice bowl.
Didn’t those who decided to drop the bombshell have any feelings?
Put yourself in their (players, plus the coaches, dropped earlier) shoes dear management. They had no inkling as this was coming soon after not playing competitive badminton for nearly a year.
The management has once again shown its high handedness after dropping the coaches at the end of last year. What more is coming from the management is left to be seen.
A stern message should also be issued to the management that you too are deemed to have failed if the players have failed.
In short, the BAM has left the sport in a lurch, and badminton is not expected to produce champions in the near future if the present Malaysian badminton standard is taken into account.
It is totally unacceptable that you have Project 24 in mind. Another couple of months’ extension to keep them (those dropped) would not have made much of a difference when the Covid-19 pandemic continues to play havoc throughout the world.
If Project 24 is the main focus then just forget about the Tokyo Olympics and cut costs. There is no guarantee that Lee Zii Jia, who was a big flop in Bangkok, will perform in Europe, or he will return with more excuses.
For now, it is not a mushy love story in the BAM.
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