BAM to reduce tournament load as player-exhaustion raises alarm

KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) believes that national shuttlers are over-stretched by tournaments and that the time has come to cut down on competitions.

BAM president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said that a report had been submitted by performance head coaches Kenneth Jonassen (singles) and Rexy Mainaky (doubles), and that the statistics prove the players are competing in too many tournaments.

Women's world No. 2 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah's shock second-round defeat to Indonesia's world No. 60 Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma–Meilysa Trias Puspitasari on Thursday was probably the last straw, as Tengku Zafrul said a decision to slash the number of tournaments for players will be endorsed at the council meeting at the Axiata Arena on Saturday.

"We'll be more focused on selecting the right tournament for the right players. The report is out and the coaches also briefed us last night. Many of our players competed in so many tournaments," said Tengku Zafrul.

"It was disappointing to see our women's doubles, Pearly-Thinaah, exit so early. Some said it's also due to home pressure. But to me, pressure is normal in any sport.

"From what I understand from the coaches and management, exhaustion is one of the issues.

"During Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan's era, they didn't join everything. They were selective. This is what we need to discuss with the coaches."

Pearly-Thinaah played 22 tournaments last year, while Aaron-Wooi Yik competed in 21 tournaments, with both pairs winning three titles each.

However, Tengku Zafrul highlighted that none of them were among the four Super 1000 events.

"But if you notice, none of our players won a Super 1000 in the World Tour," added Tengku Zafrul.

Tengku Zafrul admitted that sustainability will become difficult as BAM receive RM5 to RM6 million from the government.

"Sending players for many tournaments requires a lot of funding. So, when you focus on tournaments, on BAM's side financially, it has to be cost-efficient.

"It's not just about the cost for us but more about the return on investment (ROI) from the players themselves.

"There are some important tournaments like the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals and the Asian Games besides the regular World Tour events, and we need to plan carefully."