BAM decide to separate Koo and Tan

KUALA LUMPUR: It looks like Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are not going to delve immediately on the struggle faced by their top men’s doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.
Why else will they approve a plan to separate Kien Keat and Boon Heong for a week when both are racing against time to get back their footing ahead of the World Championships in August in Guangzhou?

Kien Keat has been named only for the mixed doubles event with Vivian Hoo in the Kedah Open starting today in Alor Star while Boon Heong has gone to Japan to fulfil his obligation to Yonex.
Why did BAM approve a trip for a national player abroad when they had made it compulsory for all national players to play in the local tournaments?

Last week, Kien Keat-Boon Heong came under fire in the Sudirman Cup after losing to Lee Sheng-mu-Tsai Chia-hsin in a group tie against Taiwan.

No thanks to their defeat, Malaysia went down 2-3 as their relatively weaker women shuttlers – Sonia Cheah and Woon Khe Wei-Vivian Hoo could not save the tie.

One would have expected the BAM to address these players’ problems immediately so that they would be motivated and prepared for the Indonesian Open from June 10-16, which is Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s last tournament before the world meet.
Without one week of training together, how are these players expected to peak and win honours at the Indonesian Open?

And how are they expected to meet the final target set by the BAM at the world meet if they do not even get chances to train together and work on their weaknesses?

While the players should take the blame for their lacklustre performances, it looks like the national body is not concerned with the welfare of their players, given the ill-planning and lack of urgency in solving their woes.

Meanwhile, in the absence of Kien Keat-Boon Heong, the focus will be on two other World Championship-bound pairs – Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong and Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem at the Kedah Open.

THE STAR

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