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New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
James says junior shuttlers lack mental strength after BAJC flop
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia badminton may be riding high at senior level, proud lofty world rankings and all that, but disappointingly not so at junior level. So, what's wrong with the country's junior development after Malaysia failed to win a single medal at this week's Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) in Indonesia. Not a single podium finish in Solo, not even a bronze, never mind silver or gold. Malaysia's campaign came to an embarrassing end on Friday when all their remaining players were wiped out in the quarter-finals. Former national high-performance director Datuk James Selvaraj said the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) needs to strengthen the players mentally. "How many tournaments have the junior players participated in before the BAJC? It looked like some of them lacked experience compared to their Asian counterparts. "There's not much depth in the talent we have now, especially in the singles department. "We have to work with the material we have and improve the quality of talent coming through to the national level." At the BAJC, high hopes were placed on girls' doubles Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu — silver medallists at the last World Junior Championships — but they fell 21-19, 21-12 to China's Cao Zi Han-Chen Fan Shu Tian. Mixed doubles Loh Ziheng-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan lost 21-18, 21-12 to Indonesia's Ikhsan Lintang Pramudya-Rinjani Kwinara Nastine, while Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah-Dania Sofea were beaten 21-23, 21-7, 21-13 by China's Chen Jun Ting-Cao Zi Han. Malaysia had also exited the mixed team quarter-finals earlier in the tournament, ending their campaign without a medal. Malaysia last won the BAJC mixed team title in 2009 in Kuala Lumpur. The last Malaysian to win the boys' singles title was Leong Jun Hao in 2017. "These players are surely disappointed with their results, and some may even fear being dropped from the team," said James. "The coaches need to help them bounce back mentally. The players also need to watch and analyse their matches — they must learn from their mistakes. "They should also observe how other players, especially the seniors, play and learn from them. "These young players need competitions to gauge whether they are improving. Training alone won't be enough — they need competitions to push their abilities."
New Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Badminton Worlds have lost appeal, prestige, says ex-national shuttler
KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton World Championships have lost much of their lustre since becoming an annual event in 2005, and Datuk James Selvaraj is calling for the tournament to be restored to its former glory. The former national shuttler has urged the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to revert the tournament to a biennial format, saying its prestige has been diluted by being staged every year except during Olympic seasons. The World Championships were introduced in 1977 and held every three years initially, before becoming a biennial affair from 1983. But since 2005, the BWF calendar has featured the tournament annually, except in Olympic years. James, a long-time advocate for player welfare and tournament quality, said the event has lost its marquee status. "The World Championships have lost the glitter, and the BWF should consider making it a biennial event again," said James. "There's no excitement anymore. Everyone treats it like just another tournament on the calendar. It should carry the same glamour and prestige as the Olympics." With only two editions in a four-year Olympic cycle, James believes the event would regain its focus and reduce the physical and mental burden on top shuttlers. Players go through tough qualification processes nearly every year, either for the World Championships or the Olympics. "Reducing the frequency will help ease the stress on players constantly pushing for qualification," he added. "It also reduces injury risk. Right now, players are forced to take part in too many tournaments just to secure a spot, and that's hurting the sport." James pointed out that the spike in injuries to top stars is likely to impact the quality of this year's World Championships in Paris, from Aug 25-31. Malaysia will be banking on their men's doubles pairs to bring home a title this time. World No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, 2022 champions and world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, and world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun will lead the Malaysian charge in the French capital.
