Latest news with #ThomasandUberCup
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Lee calls on singles to step up for new Thomas Cup mission
PETALING JAYA: As the saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. Badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei believes the formation of the 'Road to Thomas Cup' project, proposed by BAM president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz to end Malaysia's 34-year wait for the prestigious title, is a move that will bear positive results. In the past, BAM had also conducted several centralised training camps ahead of major tournaments, but such preparations were usually held only one or two months before the competition. The project, unveiled last Saturday as part of the long-term 'Tangkis 2030' blueprint, is seen as a proactive step that allows both players and coaches ample time to prepare. The national team now have about eight months to gear up, with the Thomas and Uber Cup scheduled to take place from April 24 to May 3 next year in Horsens, Denmark. Chong Wei believes having a target to meet will keep everyone on their toes. 'It's just like when we work and are given a target, I see it as something positive. It's the same with BAM now. When the president sets a target, the coaches and players know the direction they are heading and understand their responsibilities,' said Chong Wei. 'This is good for BAM because we already know the Thomas Cup will be held in May. If we only start centralised training a month before the tournament, it will be too late. 'That's why I see Tengku Zafrul's announcement of the project as a positive step, as preparations can now begin early. 'I don't think it's just me, but all Malaysians hope we can win back the Thomas Cup,' said Chong Wei when contacted. The former world No. 1 even sees the spate of injuries in the men's singles camp as a blessing in disguise, as it could provide a tactical advantage for the national team in the tournament. 'From my initial discussions with Tengku Zafrul, the outlook for the 2026 squad looks promising. We have three doubles pairs who are quite balanced in strength, and in the singles we can count on Leong Jun Hao, Lee Zii Jia and Justin Hoh. 'My hope is that if Ng Tze Yong can recover in time before the Thomas Cup, we will have more tactical options in singles. But at the moment, we also don't know about Zii Jia's condition and whether he has fully recovered. 'If he is fully fit, we can field him as first, second or even third singles, depending on his ranking at that time. 'I feel that if Tze Yong or Zii Jia are able to recover and return to their best form, it will give us a strong tactical edge in the men's singles,' he added. At last year's Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, the national team had to settle for the bronze medal. Malaysia's last triumph in the prestigious tournament came in 1992, when the event was staged in Kuala Lumpur.
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Next line of players will start performing in a year or two: BAI gen secretary
CHENNAI: The Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Sanjay Mishra felt things will improve soon because several systems have been or are in the process of being implemented. He felt changes could have been made earlier but a start has been made. 'Let's concentrate on the future,' he said. One such area is creating a decent perennial bench strength. "Of late in international challenge level tournaments, some of our second string players are doing well,' he told the New Indian Express on Friday. 'Today (Friday) at St. Denis International Challenge, there are some four or five quarter-finalists. Tanvi Sharma has won an international event recently. Unnati (Hooda) is another player doing well. Ayush (Shetty) had beaten the All England finalist. Young players have started performing. They will get more exposure and with that, they will be more mature and they will start performing. Within another year or two, bigger results will start coming. 'For big tournaments like the Asian Championships and Thomas and Uber Cup, we will prepare for that. We have the likes of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shettry, who are great doubles players. They are coming back from injury. In women's doubles, we have Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. Because we have limited big players right now, so when they lose then there is a lot of negativity. They are also under tremendous pressure. Now we are banking on the doubles players and singles exponents like PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy. They will support us in the next two years. By that time, the second line should be ready. This happens in sport." But the vacuum the country has seen have not been created over the last one year. If a proper system were to be in place, India might have avoided such a phase. "We have to form a backup with U-15 to U-19 players. Earlier, we had two camps; one in Hyderabad and another in Bengaluru for seniors round the year. Junior camps used to be held before Asian Championships, Worlds, or during other events. Now, we have started an NCOE (National Centre of Excellence) where they will train for 365 days a year. Everyone is training and playing together and going for exposure trips as well. Juniors used to train in their own academies earlier. Now, we will have the line."
