AST Badminton Club

More news from our guys in Newcastle..........

2008-10-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

NORTHUMBERLAND’S first team got their Victor Sports ICC campaign off to a flying start with a resounding 12-3 victory over visitors Lancashire Seconds at Newcastle’s Benfield Centre.
North’s thirds also secured a three-point success with a 10-5 victory over neighbours Durham.
For the seniors, Sarah Renton led from the front and soon had North on the scoreboard, closely followed by Adam Tingle and Katie Wright with straight-set wins.
County champion Richard Eaton, meanwhile, was embroiled in a long three-setter and was unlucky to just lose out 23-21 in the third.
Renton carried her form into the ladies’ doubles and easily won at top string, partnered by Katherine Gray.
Kristian Stuart and Andy McGill also started well and stretched North’s lead further to 5-1.
Eaton and Dave Shariff, making his first-team debut, recovered from a set and 9-4 down, taking the second 21-19 before edging a tight third 22-20.
Katie Wright and Alison Thompson also came back well from a set down, helped by a run of 15 consecutive points on Thompson’s serve in the deciding set.
Renton and Gray secured victory with another straight-sets win and Northumberland duly went on to secure their remaining three level doubles and thereby surpass the magic number 10 needed for a 3-0 points win.
It was not as easy as it sounds, however, with all three close three- setters, two only being won by the narrowest of margins 21-19.
The highlight of the mixed proved to be Renton completing her clean sweep with regular partner Malcolm Lightbown, although for once Northumberland lost a close one with Stuart and Gray unlucky to go down 22-20 in the third having had match points in their favour.
FULL RESULT (Northumberland players first): Richard Eaton lost to Tim Vickers 21-16, 19-21 ,21-23;. Adam Tingle beat Nick Hodgson 21-17, 24-22; Sarah Renton beat Faye Ormesher 21-3, 21-11; Katie Wright beat Nicki Burridge 22-20, 21-11.
Eaton and Dave Shariff beat Ashley Gibson and Hodgson 15-21, 21-19, 22-20; beat Vickers and Steve Taylor 12-21, 21-19, 21-19; Kristian Stuart and Andrew McGill beat Vickers and Taylor 21-12,21-11; beat Gibson and Hodgson 22-24, 23-21, 21-16.
Sarah Renton and Katherine Gray beat Nicki Burridge and Amanda Gibson 21-12, 21-11; beat Faye Ormesher and Becki Hutt 21-8, 21-19; Alison Thompson and Katie Wright beat Ormesher and Hutt 21-23, 21-14, 21-6; beat Burridge and Gibson 24-22,19-21, 21-19.
Lightbown and Renton beat Hodgson and Gibson 21-13, 21-10; McGill and Thompson lost to Gibson and Hutt 18-21,16-21;Stuart and Gray lost to Taylor and Burridge 22-24, 21-16, 20-22.
FULL THIRD TEAM RESULT (Northumberland players first): Carl Gibbons beat Taigh Connor-Watson 21-14, 21-17; Steve Gibbons beat Michael Hahn 21-11, 21-12; Victoria Brewis lost to Holly Robson 13-21, 15-21; Liz Williams lost to Laura McKie 12-21, 9-21.
Carl and Steve Gibbons beat Connor-Watson and Dan Cuthbertson 21-7, 21-9; beat Adam Pickard and Hahn 21-16, 21-13; Matt Garfitt and Adam Curry beat Pickard and Hahn 21-11, 21-7; beat Connor-Watson and Cuthbertson 21-10, 21-18.
Jenny Livingstone and Liz Williams lost to Holly Robson and Rebecca Bolden 18-21,15-21; beat Laura McKie and Abbie Scarlett 21-16, 23-21; Victoria Brewis and Kerry Myers lost to McKie and Scarlett 17-21,13-21; lost to Robson and Bolden 14-21,17-21.
Matt Garfitt and Jenny Livingstone beat Connor-Watson and Bolden 19-21, 23-21, 21-14; Alex O’Neil and Williams beat Hahn and Robson 21-7, 21-17; Curry and Brewis beat Nat Stephenson and Scarlett 21-10, 21-10;
North return to league action at Benfeld on Sunday, November 2 with another double-header, the firsts entertaining Yorkshire Thirds and the thirds hosting Cumbria Seconds at Benfield (1.00).

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/grassroots-news/2008/10/22/badminton-not-bad-for-starters-72703-22083235/

AST Badminton Club Beach Training!

2008-10-12T19:57:00.001-07:00

We had a beach training and picnic at the Kinabalu Golf Club, Tanjung Aru Beach recently.

We started with some jogging from the club to the end of the beach and back. Our youngest participant was 6 year old Naldo Fung and he amazed me by completing one end of the 30 minutes jog without stop!

We had shadow badminton in the sand and you can see from the pictures that the trainees put their heart into it.

It wasnt all work. We had games to cap off the training session. The trainees had a local version of dodgeball/cricket called "kayu tiga" game to keep them in th upbeat mood.

Later all the parents and student had a sumptuous meal with the hot grill and picnic basket offering lots of tasty food to satisfy their hunger after a day's hard work!

The event was a success and the trainees will be working harder in preparation for the next competition in November before we make the next outing to the Kinabalu National Park.

AST Badminton Club

Congratulations Richard Eaton, David Shariff & Adam Tingle

2008-10-12T19:34:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to our trainees in England - Eaton, Shariff & Tingle for their respective victories in the recently concluded annual Northumberland County Restricted Tournament 2008.

Read more about it:
"Badminton: Eaton be merry after a double triumph!
Oct 8 2008 Evening Chronicle
RICHARD EATON and Sarah Renton enjoyed success at the double at the annual Northumberland County Restricted Tournament.
Both claimed singles and doubles titles at the season’s traditional curtain-raiser at Newcastle’s Benfield Centre for Sporting Excellence.
The tournament is restricted in the sense that only those qualified for Northumberland can enter – but this year saw its biggest field yet.
Defending men’s singles champion Eaton progressed to the final without the loss of a set, only Kristian Stuart getting anywhere near him by losing to 17 and 18 in the semi-final.
Adam Tingle, meanwhile, was making similar progress in the bottom half of the draw, also making the final without the loss of a set after winning his semi against Dave Shariff by a similar score.
The final was a strange affair with Eaton leading throughout the first to take it to 16 before Tingle, attacking strongly, responded so well he led 11-6 at the interval in the second.
That lead was immediately extended to 17-6 and he took the second set 21-9.
In contrast, the decider was nip and tuck to 5-5 before Eaton eased away to lead 11-7 at the turn.
Back came Tingle to level at 14-14 – but Eaton eventually ran out the winner 21-18.
The ladies singles final saw Renton, ranked No 5 in England, in imperious form.
She never gave Katie Wright a look-in, winning comfortably in straight sets.
In the ladies doubles, Renton was again in excellent form and she and Katherine Gray triumphed over previous winners Alison Thompson and Katie Wright, again in two sets.
The men’s doubles saw a repeat of last year’s final with Richard Eaton and Dave Shariff taking the first set comfortably from defending champions Kristian Stuart and Andrew McGill 21-13.
Stuart and McGill led virtually throughout the second set before being caught at 17-17, but they managed to hold on to take it to 19.
The decider was tighter, with neither pair leading by more than two points, before they were again level at 18-18.
This time it was to be Eaton and Shariff who gained the ascendancy and they went on to clinch it 21-18.
The last final saw last year’s winners Kristian Stuart and Katherine Gray up against Andrew McGill and Alison Thompson in the mixed doubles decider.
The champions looked to be romping away with it when they took the opening set 21-8.
The second proved much closer with neither pair able to establish a lead and McGill and Thompson took it 21-18.
The third proved equally as close until a run of four points on McGill’s serve saw them go 16-12 ahead, a lead they were to hold on to to emerge winners 21-15.
The next badminton at Benfield is the annual Satellite Tournament, part of the national BadmintonEngland circuit, on Satrurday and Sunday, which should see the majority of the county’s top players in action.
:: THE first league match for Northumberland’s second team on Sunday was cancelled as North East Wales have withdrawn from the ICC.
RESULTS – men’s singles: Eaton beat Adam Tingle 21-16, 9-21, 21-18. Ladies singles: Sarah Renton beat Katie Wright 21-7, 21-9. Men’s Singles plate: McGough beat Carl Jennings 21- 15, 21-23, 21-16.
’s doubles: Eaton and Dave Shariff beat Kristian Stuart and Andrew McGill 13-21, 21-19, 21- 18. Ladies doubles: Sarah Renton and Katherine Gray beat Alison Thompson and Katie Wright 21-13, 21-13. Mixed doubles: Andrew McGill and Alison Thompson beat Kristian Stuart and Katherine Gray 8- 21, 21-18, 21-15."

source: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/grassroots-news/2008/10/08/badminton-eaton-be-merry-after-a-double-triumph-72703-21983991/

Hope you guys continue to train over there and give us an email whenever you want to come train with us again.

Steeve.

Badminton: Choong Hann badly wants to beat Chinese ace

2007-02-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

Monday February 26, 2007

By RAJES PAUL
PETALING JAYA: In his heyday, veteran Wong Choong Hann beat all the Chinese players. All but one – Lin Dan.
And where he failed all those years ago, Choong Hann is hoping to succeed at the age of 30.
The Chinese is the top seed in the men's singles event of the German Open, which will begin on Wednesday in Mulheim, Germany.
Choong Hann left yesterday for the US$80,000 tournament, determined to set-up a match against Lin Dan. They have been drawn to meet in the quarter-finals.

Desperate: Wong Choong Hann hopes to beat Lin Dan (inset) if they meet in the German Open.“Based on the draw, I should make it into the last eight. I have not beaten Lin Dan yet. I lost to him at the last year's All-England. I have not met him since,” said Choong Hann, who faces Raul Must of Spain in the first round.
A win for the first time in six meetings against Lin Dan will certainly be a big boost for Choong Hann in his bid to make the cut for the World Championships, which will be held at Putra Stadium, from Aug 13-19.
“It has been a while since I pulled off a big win. Hopefully, I will be able to upset Lin Dan – if I get to play him. He is the only Chinese player that I have yet to beat,” he added.
Choong Hann has beaten Chen Jin once in three meetings; he has a 2-2 record against Chen Hong; has won two of his six meetings with Bao Chunlai; and has a good record of 6-2 against Chen Yu.
A good showing in the German Open and the next week's All-England, the third leg of the Super Series, will certainly help to improve his world ranking. He is currently ranked 72nd.
Lin Dan, who rebounded quickly from a second round exit in the Malaysian Open to win the Korean Open a week later last month, will likely meet another Malaysian - Mohd Roslin Hashim - in the third round.
The other men singles players in the main draw fray are Lee Tsuen Seng, Tan Chun Seang, K. Yogendran and Sairul Amar Ayob. Five others – Liew Daren, Beryno Wong, Lim Kenn, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Vountus Indra Mawan – will begin their campaign in the qualifying tournament on Tuesday.

Badminton: Rashid cool despite being overlooked16 Feb 2007

2007-02-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

AS a player, Rashid Sidek always wanted to work with coaches he was comfortable with, so he fully agrees with the BA of Malaysia’s decision to appoint Wong Tat Meng as the national singles chief coach.BAM left it to the players to decide and all opted for Tat Meng, who served as outgoing chief coach Li Mao’s assistant for the last two years.Rashid and brother Misbun were the frontrunners for the post, with Rashid expected to swing it as his work with the Project 2010-2012 squad has received rave reviews. But the players decided otherwise."It does not matter who heads the national team as long as he can do his job well. The players have put their faith in Tat Meng and it is only fair that he is given the job."The main criteria before deciding on a coach is to make sure the players are comfortable with the candidate and it was Tat Meng who the shuttlers wanted," said Rashid yesterday.A bronze medallist in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Rashid said he was more interested in the other decisions BAM had made on Wednesday."My objective now is to make sure that my players are given the chance to compete in the super series and grand prix events as they have shown improvement."BAM will be sending them to the German and Swiss Opens and I hope this will continue."The joint training sessions with the seniors will also benefit them and I’m looking forward to seeing them train with the seniors on a regular basis."Rashid has six men’s singles players — Tan Chun Seang, Lim Kenn, Liew Daren, Chong Wei Feng, Beryno Wong and Chong Li Qun — and four women’s singles players — Julia Wong, Anita Raj, Norsyahliza Baharum and Ooi Swee Wenn — under his guidance. He is assisted by Tey Siu Bock.Julia stands out among them as she finished runner-up in the four-star Phillipines Open last year, won the Sri Lankan satellite and has the distinction of beating World No 5 Yao Jie of the Netherlands, World No 8 Xu Huaiwen of Germany and World No 11 Kaori Mori of Japan since last June. She is currently ranked World No 22.Lim Kenn was the first player from the project squad to beat a national player, Lee Tsuen Seng, in the Malaysian satellite last year which forced the latter to quit the national squad, and won the Sri Lankan satellite beating Chun Seang last November.Daren also beat a national player when he outplayed Kuan Beng Hong in the National Grand Prix Finals in Kuala Terengganu last week.Chun Seang, despite not winning any title, has been more consistent and is ranked 56th, which is higher than seniors K. Yogendran (61st) and James Chua (169).Chun Seang, Lim Kenn, Daren and Beryno will be competing alongside Wong Choong Hann and Yogendran in the German Open, a grand prix event, in Mulheim on Feb 27-March 4, and will also compete in the qualifying rounds of the All-England on March 6-11. The squad’s pairs Khoo Chung Chiat-Razif Latif and Chan Peng Soon-Chang Hun Pin and women’s pair Haw Chiou Hwee-Lim Yin Loo will also compete in both tournaments.Julia will be competing in the All-England and Swiss Open on March 13-18 while Anita will play in the German Open and the All-England.

Time for the BAM to discard unproductive seniors

2007-02-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

By RAJES PAUL
KUALA TERENGGANU: A change of guard is set to take place in the men’s singles department of the national team following insipid performances by several senior shuttlers in the Proton National Grand Prix Finals, which ended here on Sunday.
The end is nigh for James Chua, K. Yogendran and Yeoh Kay Bin and players from the Project 2010-12 squad are set to make their breakthrough into the national team.
James’ tame 24-minute defeat by Lee Chong Wei in the semi-finals showed that he is no longer up to the mark while Yogendran hardly showed any substance in his defeat by Mohd Hafiz Hashim.
A hardworking Kay Bin, who has been in the national team for almost a decade, was down with fever and lost to James in the semi-finals. But he also does not have any good results to stake a claim for a longer stay in the national team.

Waiting in the wings: Tan Chun Seang and Lim Kenn (below, right) are some of the Project 2010-12 players on the verge of joining the national senior team.In fact, even Kuan Beng Hong’s position in the national team hangs in the balance. He was beaten by back-up shuttler Liew Daren and immediately withdrew from the Finals because of fever.
It is time for the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to rope in the back-up players. By concentrating on them, at least, there is some hope for the future. If at all the BAM want to retain the seniors, they could be hired as sparring partners.
The Project squad’s chief coach, Rashid Sidek, said that some of his players were on the verge of joining the national team.
Among them are Tan Chun Seang, Lim Kenn, Liew Daren, Choong Wei Feng, Beryno Wong, Chong Li Qun, Teo Kok Seng and Mohd Hafiz Shaharudin.
“I have decided to send some of the players to Misbun (Sidek). Currently, he (Misbun ) has only one player (Mohd Hafiz Hashim) under his charge,” said Rashid.
“It will be good for these back-up players to be groomed by Misbun. After all, Misbun prefers to coach youngsters. It is time to push these back-up players. Having them in the national team will help raise their standards as they will get more opportunities to compete.”
While changes are expected to take place, Malaysia’s hopes for honours in international tournaments this year will still rest on the shoulders of five-time national champion Lee Chong Wei, Hafiz and Wong Choong Hann.
Hafiz showed some of his good attacking shots and aggression even though he lost to Chong Wei in the final. And it augurs well for Hafiz, who is determined to lift his game to a higher level this year.

Rashid unhappy with ding-dong display

2007-02-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

KUALA TERENGGANU: There was one upset pulled of by the men's back-up squad players in the Proton National Grand Prix Finals but for coach Rashid Sidek, the outing was still a big disappointment.
On Thursday, 20-year-old Liew Daren turned the tables on Kuan Beng Hong, who eventually withdrew from the tournament due to fever, in a group match.
But a day after the big win, Liew went down to Bukit Jalil Sports School's (BJSS) Lim Fang Yang.
Besides Liew Daren, the others – Chong Wei Feng, Lim Kenn and Chong Li Qun – were also eliminated from the tournament.
Their performances were inconsistent.
Rashid said he was disappointed with the lack of mental strength among the youngsters.
“I was not impressed with any one of them. After winning against Beng Hong, Daren lacked confidence and lost to Fang Yang. The others played well but put undue pressure on themselves,” said Rashid.
“Their main weakness is their lack of the mental strength. They show great commitment in training but I do not see the same fire in them during competition. Now, I have to keep on motivating them to be brave on the court,” he said.
Rashid said the men's singles players would now be heading for the German Open and Bahrain Satellite.
Those making the trip to Germany are Daren, Lim Kenn, Tan Chun Seang and Beryno Wong while Wei Feng and Li Qun will head to Bahrain.

Badminton: Rashid wants joint training

2007-02-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

RASHID Sidek, strongly tipped to take over as the men’s singles coach from Li Mao whose contract is expired, has requested that the national senior squad and the 2010-2012 Project players train together if the BA of Malaysia (BAM) wants results to improve.Rashid, who currently heads the 2010-2012 Project whose players train at Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara, said joint training is the only way he can assume full responsbility as the singles coach. He says he can concentrate on a few shuttlers from the Project squad and also focus on the seniors, if they train together.Players like Lim Kenn, Tan Chun Seang and Liew Darren train under Rashid, and they will likely to be joined by Lee Chong Wei, Wong Choong Hann and Kuan Beng Hong when BAM hand (singles) coaching duties to the former Olympic bronze medallist. Wong Tat Meng is the caretaker coach for the seniors but Rashid’s vast international experience will be invaluable in helping the national shuttlers who are preparing for August’s World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, and the Beijing Olympics next year."I have no objections in assuming the responsibilities of a singles coach but the current working order has to change. I cannot abandon the 2010-2012 Project as it will be infair to my players," said Rashid."However, joint-training will benefit everyone. The back-up players will give their 100 percent as they can use this opportunity to make a strong impact on the international scene, while the seniors will also receive quality sparring sessions from playing against their younger compatriots."We will have a win-win situation. I do not have to take charge of all the 13 players (in joint-training) as Tat Meng can focus on a few players, while Misbun (Sidek) can also take charge of some as presently he only has Hafiz Hashim under him."If the current situation persists, it will be very difficult as my players train in Bukit Kiara while the national team do so at Bukit Jalil." There are seven players — Chong Wei, Choong Hann, Hafiz, Beng Hong, Yeoh Kay Bin, K. Yogendran and James Chua — in the national senior singles, while the Project squad has Lim Kenn, Chun Seang, Liew Darren, Chong Wei Feng, Chong Li Qun and Beryno Wong.Rashid also coaches women’s singles players Julia Wong, Anita Raj and Norsyahliza Baharum with Tey Siu Bock as his assistant.

Ng Paou Ling Makes It To The National GP Finals!

2007-02-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

PETALING JAYA: With veteran doubles pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah not among the qualifiers for the Proton National Grand Prix Finals, the spotlight will be on Doha Asian Games gold medallists Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong in the tournament in Kuala Terengganu from Feb 8-11.
With the third leg of the Super Series, the All-England only taking place next month, the top national shuttlers will focus their attention on the Finals before taking a break for the Chinese New Year.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong have produced sensational results on the international stage since they forged a partnership for the Japan Open late last year. They emerged as the runners-up and went on to end a 36-year gold drought for Malaysia in the Asiad badminton in Doha last December.
And in the opening round of the inaugural Super Series, the Malaysian Open, they went all the way from the qualifying tournament to lift the title. In last week's Korean Open, they reached the semi-finals.
Being the best performing pair in the national team over the last three months, Kien Keat-Boon Heong will start as the favourites to become the new national champions and secure an early ang pow for the Chinese New Year.
For Kien Keat, he will be bidding to win the national title for the third time. He won it, partnering Chan Chong Ming, in 2004 and 2005.
However, Kien Keat-Boon Heong can expect stiff challenges from their teammates in the battle for the RM11,000 winners' purse.
They have been drawn in Group A with defending champions Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Lin Woon Fui, Khoo Chung Chiat-Mohd Razif Latif and Ong Jian Guo-Goh Wei Shem.
Group B will also see close fights for semi-final spots. It comprises Kuala Lumpur Open champions Chan Chong Ming-Hoon Thien How, Gan Teik Chai-Mohd Zakry Latif and Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock and Bukit Jalil Sports School's Lim Khim Wah-Mak Hee Chun.
National chief coach Yap Kim Hock said: “The standards are close among the national pairs. Kien Keat-Boon Heong may be the favourites but it will not be easy for them. It is going to be interesting to see who emerge as the winners this time.”
At the Kuala Lumpur Open, Kien Keat-Boon Heong were beaten by Fairuzizuan-Woon Fui in the semi-finals.
Lee Chong Wei will also be in the spotlight in Kuala Terengganu. He will be bidding to win the men's singles crown for the fifth consecutive time.
Chong Wei should have no problem advancing to the semi-finals from Group A and he is expected to play against Group C top seed Yeoh Kay Bin for a place in the final.
An interesting fight is in store in Group B between Kuan Beng Hong and Wong Choong Hann for a place in the semi-finals. The winner is likely to play against Mohd Hafiz Hashim.
MEN'S SINGLES
Group A: Lee Chong Wei, Chong Li Qun, Azrihanif Azahar, Kuan Kam Chung.
Group B: Yeoh Kay Bin, James Chua, Chong Wei Feng, Teo Kok Siang.
Group C: Kuan Beng Hong, Wong Choong Hann, Liew Darren, Lim Fang Yang.
Group D: Mohd Hafiz Hashim, K. Yogendran, Lim Kenn, Zairul Hafiz Zainuddin.
WOMEN' SINGLES
Group A: Wong Mew Choo, Vivian Hoo, Ooi Swee Wenn, Sanatasah Saniru.
Group B: Julia Wong, Lydia Cheah, Stephanie Shalini, Tiffany Chase Currier.
MEN'S DOUBLES
Group A: Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Lin Woon Fui, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Khoo Chung Chiat-Mohd Razif Latif, Ong Jian Guo-Goh Wei Shem.
Group A: Gan Teik Chai-Mohd Zakry Latif, Chan Chong Ming-Hoon Thien How, Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock, Lim Khim Wah-Mak Hee Chun.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Group A: Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty, Lydia Cheah-Woon Khe Wei, Ooi Sock Ai-Ooi Yu Hang, Goh Liu Ying-Ho Bee Ling.
Group B: Fong Chew Yen-See Phui Leng, Julia Wong-Haw Chiou Hwee, Tee Jing Yi-Vivian Hoo, Lim Yee Theng-Ng Paou Ling.
MIXED DOUBLES
Group A: Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty, Mohd Zakry Latif-Ooi Sock Ai, Chan Peng Soon-Lim Yin Loo, Mak Hee Chun-Sanatasah Saniru.
Group B: Gan Teik Chai-Fong Chew Yen, Tan Bin Shen-Ooi Yu Hang, Khoo Chung Chiat-Haw Chiou Hwee, Lim Khim Wah-Goh Liu Ying.

Beng Hong has no fear of the juniors

2007-01-08T06:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday January 7, 2007
PETALING JAYA: National men's singles shuttler Kuan Beng Hong is in no rush to be among the world's best. In fact, he's not even thinking about being the country's best.
He knows that none of the back-up players are even close to his standard.
National singles coach Li Mao has targeted Beng Hong to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games but the 24-year-old player is not too worried about missing out. He knows his place in the national team will not be jeopardised.
“My coach (Li Mao) has high hopes. But it is a tall order for me, especially now that I am not very confident about my game,” said Beng Hong.
“But I’m working hard in training. Hopefully, I will be able to achieve a breakthrough in one of three tournaments – the Malaysian Open (Jan 16-21), Korean Open (Jan 23-28) and the All-England (March 6-11). That would help me enter the Olympic qualifying period with more confidence.”
The Olympic qualifying season begins in May.
While Beng Hong is hard-pressed to psyche himself up, the absence of juniors and peers to keep him on his toes is fast becoming another problem.
“I will be back to training even if I do not make the cut for the Olympics. I will be concentrating on other tournaments,” he said.
“It is just unfortunate that there is no pressure from the juniors right now. For the time being, my place in the national team is safe.”
Beng Hong, who is ranked 31st in the world, said there was a big gap in standards between the seniors and the second team.
“It was different when I was in the back-up team. We trained with the seniors and had match practice every week.
“Our back-up players now train on their own. They only get a chance to rub shoulders with the seniors during the local circuit. And last year, we had only two legs of the circuit!
“I’m not looking down on them but their standard is low now,” added Beng Hong.
The back-up singles players under the Project 2010-12 are Chong Wei Feng, Tan Chun Seang, Azrihanif Azahar, Lim Kenn, Mohd Syafiq Jamaluddin, Liew Daren, Chong Li Qun and Beryno Wong.
The seniors train in Bukit Jalil while the back-up players are based at the Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara.

Antabax!

2007-01-08T06:10:00.000-08:00

Four back-up shuttlers get nod for Malaysian Open

2007-01-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

Monday January 8, 2007, PETALING JAYA: Four national back-up singles players will get the chance to prove their worth in the Malaysian Open Badminton Championships.
The four players who will begin their campaign in the qualifying tournament next Tuesday are Lim Kenn, Tan Chun Seang, Beryno Wong and Liew Daren of the Project 2010-12 squad.
And Lim Kenn is determined to make a breakthrough.
“It is great that I have the chance to compete in the qualifying tournament. I am 21-years-old now but it is not considered young in the world of badminton anymore,” said Lim Kenn, who is ranked 131st in the world.
“It is time to step up and prove my worth in the team. I will give my best shot to make it to the main draw.”
The Malaysian back-up shuttlers are lucky to get to compete in the Malaysian Open because of the absence of many foreign players in the top 100 bracket.
Meanwhile, after being delayed due to problems with downloading information last week, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will release the draw for the Open today.

Welcome The Year Of The Boar! 2007

2006-12-31T19:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a very happy new year wishes to all.

AST Badminton Club

Blast From The Past-Saturday, December 31, 2005

2006-12-31T19:27:00.000-08:00

Sabah discovers new talents
STORY AND PHOTOS BY NORMIMIE DIUN
The inaugural Borneo Games was a resounding success for Sabah as the host state emerged overall champions, and the events helped unearth many new talents.
SHUTTLE SUPREMACY: Sabah's Stanley Savio (front) and Tan Chew Kiet in action during the badminton Men's Doubles against Brunei.
As some of the competitors were youngsters from the various Sabah sports teams, the Games gave valuable exposure for them in preparation for next years Sukan Malaysia in Kedah.
Kedah, which is Sukma 2006 host, made a guest appearance at the five-day event held mostly at Kota Kinabalu Sports Complex recently.
Sabah chef-de-mission Datuk Herman Tiongsoh received the Borneo Games trophy from Brunei Darussalam Youth and Sport Minister Major Jeneral (B) Datuk Seri Pahlawan Awang Mohammad Daud.
Sabah collected 28 gold, 24 silver and 15 bronze medals for a total of 312 points, while Sarawak was second with 208 points from 18 gold, 16 silver and 18 bronze medals.
Brunei was in third place with 154 points with their tally of seven gold, 11 silver and 17 bronze medals while Labuan came in last, pocketing two silver and two bronze medals to muster 38points.
Kedah won three gold, four silver and five bronze but were not counted in the standings as they were an invitational team to the Games that involved 10 sports and one traditional game.
Sabahs gold medals came through a haul of 11 in athletics, two from the men and women football, mens hockey, sepak takraw, seven from badminton and two from boxing.
Though they grabbed a total of eight gold medals in the ring, only two were counted for the overall standings.
The hosts ruled the track and field competitions, winning 11 gold medals of the 21 at stake, along with eight silver and nine bronze medals.
Fourteen-year old Feldeniah Lok Kassim from Kudat claimed the gold medal in the womens 200m with a time of 26.7 secs and was among the bright sparks that Tiongsoh spoke off. Asrenny Asik won Sabah two gold medals in the discus and shot putt.
Sarawaks gold haul came from womens hockey, seven from bowling and the rest from track and field.
The five-day Games came to an end with cultural songs and dances and the next Borneo Games will be held in Kuching in 2007.

Kenny Goh gets BAM nod as new manager

2006-12-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

JOHOR BARU: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have appointed Kenny Goh as their new general manager, taking over from incumbent P. Ganga Rao who has joined Badminton World Federation (BWF) in the same capacity.
The Pahang-born Kenny, who has a degree in physical education and a Masters in sports science from the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) was the vice-president (operations) of ELS Language Centre for Malaysia.
He starts work tomorrow, the day Ganga officially takes over as general manager of BWF, which is currently based in Malaysia.
The BAM decided on Kenny's appointment after a council meeting chaired by president Datuk Nadzmi Salleh here yesterday.
“Next year will be a very busy one for BAM. We will host five international tournaments, including the World Championships. Kenny has vast experience in management and administration and will also look into the technical aspects of the organisation.
“His sports science degree will also stand in good stead for the association. It is going to be a very hectic calendar and we need someone who is qualified to run the show,” Nadzmi told a press conference after the meeting.
Kenny, who represented Pahang in athletics and softball at national schools level, said: “I have always been interested in BAM ... it is one of the best organised national sports body in the country and I am happy to serve the association.”
Ganga, the “strongman” of BAM, however, will not sever all ties with the association. He will remain as the BAM secretary, at least until the end of his current term which expires at the end of 2008.
“But I will give up my post if it is difficult to cope with both duties or if there is conflict of interest,” said Ganga, who admitted that he may suffer from “withdrawal symptoms” after having been the general manager for the last four years.
“I can't tell now but I may suffer from withdrawal symptoms. However, as the secretary, I am still very much in the BAM fraternity.”

Sportcheck: Massive changes on the way

2006-12-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

30 Dec 2006
IT is not only just about the revamp of sports schools. The entire face of sports development in the country is about to be transformed into a more effective national machinery that will produce world beaters from Malaysian children.Or at least, that is how an optimistic National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz sees the setting up of the joint committee for the management of sports schools.The idea, said Dr Ramlan, is to formulate a system, not just in infrastructure, that would fuel the expansion of all areas significant to elite programmes and make it available to athletes in development programmes."This means the quality of services such as sports science and sports medicine must be the same at Federal and State level. The dimension has to change," said Dr Ramlan.Dr Ramlan was elaborating on the proposed joint committee to manage sports schools which brings together the Sports and Education Ministries, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and the NSC.A proposal to have a sports school in each State has been approved by the Cabinet Committee for Sports, and the Government will begin by setting up three sports schools in Perlis, Kuantan and Kota Kinabalu next year."It should no longer be just schools where students are involved in sports. If we want them to be world class athletes, we should be treating them like world class athletes from the beginning," said Dr Ramlan.The National Sports Institute (NSI), said Dr Ramlan, has already begun spreading its wings in view of future requirements, having started the first phase in the setting up of satellite centres in each State.The Education Ministry has also agreed for a NSI satellite centre to be set up at the Bandar Penawar Sports School, which will be the centre for south Johor."We’re also starting to talk to universities to see whether, apart from their expertise in research, can they provide services for athletes," said Dr Ramlan."Currently, only those in the Bukit Jalil Sports School have the opportunity to receive sports science services because of their proximity to the NSI."There are shortcomings in the current system and they are being addressed in the new plan. One of the ideas behind having the sports schools is to have the young athletes close to those who will influence good character, like parents."By having sports schools and facilities in each State, we don’t have to take the young children away from their parents for long periods of time, but still be able to provide them with the necessary development."

Eight core sports: Programme slammed

2006-12-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

29 Dec 2006K. Kandiah
THE Eight Core Sports Programme steering committee headed by Tan Sri Noordin Hassan has lost direction. This damning accusation comes from Penang State Hockey Association (PSHA) secretary Ranjit Singh who feels the programme, originally meant to provide funds and monitor development programmes, is more keen on assuming completely the role of the State associations. Ranjit said the steering committee is planning and implementing programmes throughout Penang with its development officials, leaving the national and State bodies redundant."It started off with programmes being drawn and endorsed by the State association's secretary but now the column for the secretary's signature is completely missing from the forms."This is a clear indication that those managing the eight core sports programme are taking matters into their own hands, leaving us in the dark. "When we conducted training for the Under-14 and Under-16 age-groups at the Bertam Hockey Turf, they refused to pay us for the turf charges but instead advised us to train on grass," an upset Ranjit told Timesport in Bukit Gelugor yesterday.He alleged that the committee owes PSHA about RM40,000 for implementing various development programmes. Ranjit also alleged that PSHA was only reimbursed last Wednesday for hosting the national Under-14 hockey tournament in September, 2005.He also alleged that the committee is by-passing the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) in funding and implementing programmes for coaching, umpiring and technical officials in some States.MHF treasurer S. Sanjilatheeban, when contacted, said the total funding for the development of hockey under the programme is RM3.6 million. However, only RM1.6 million has been channeled through MHF to the States. Ranjit said the programme, initiated by the Sports Ministry, had succeeded in creating interest at the grassroots. "However, the implementation is questionable."I hope the Cabinet Committee for Sports will take a serious look at the problems and the implementation methods."Nordin could not be contacted for comment.

23/12/2006 KL Open 2006 Div 2 Full Results

2006-12-23T16:23:00.000-08:00

http://bam.org.my/tournament/national/2006/national_circuit/kuala_lumpur_open/result2.html

Marylen Ng Paou Ling wins first National Division 2 Doubles Title At KL Open 2006

2006-12-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

By LIM TEIK HUAT
KUALA LUMPUR: The new men's doubles pairing of Chan Chong Ming-Hoon Thien How ensured themselves a merry Christmas yesterday when they capped a smashing run with an upset win over more illustrious teammates Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Lin Woon Fui to win the Kuala Lumpur Open title at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium yesterday.
Chong Ming-Thien How came from behind to beat Fairuzizuan-Woon Fui 22-20 in the first game.
Although Fairuzizuan-Woon Fui came back strongly in the late stages of the second game, Chong Ming-Thien How hung on to win 22-20 for their first victory in the local circuit.
In the men's singles final, Mohd Hafiz Hashim failed in his bid to end Lee Chong Wei's three-year unbeaten streak.
Chong Wei, who has not been beaten in the local circuit since 2003, took just 35 minutes to beat Hafiz 21-15, 21-18 to win his first local title of the year.
Chong Wei did not compete in the first leg in Malacca earlier in the year because he had to take part in international tournaments to maintain his world rankings before the World Championships in Madrid in September.
While Chong Wei lived up to his top billing, it was Chong Ming-Thien How who stole the show.
They edged top seeds and veterans Lee Wan Wah-Choong Tan Fook in three games in the quarter-finals before yesterday's win over their rivals, who had just returned from the Asian Games.
At the semi-finals stage, Fairuzizuan-Woon Fui had beaten Asian Games champions Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.
The maiden win yesterday was doubly joyful for Thien How, who turns 20 today. Chong Ming and Thien How each pocketed RM3,000 for their efforts.
Chong Ming said they had been hugely motivated for the final.
“We had more desire to win as Fairuzizuan-Woon Fui are the national champions.
“This is our first victory since we were paired off with each other last month. Our hope now is to continue improving and qualify for the World Championships to be held in Kuala Lumpur next year,” said Chong Ming.
Thien How had been Boon Heong's partner when the pair won the world junior title in 2004.
Chong Ming's two-year partnership with Kien Keat ended when he was left out of the squad to the Asian Games in Doha. Kien Keat and Boon Heong went on to end a 36-year Asian Games drought for Malaysia when they took the men's doubles gold in Doha.
For Chong Wei, it was a hard earned win.
“Hafiz and I are not in the best of conditions because we have just come back from the Asian Games.
“But I was determined not to lose this match. I wanted to keep my unbeaten record in the local circuit,” said Chong Wei, who received a winner's cheque of RM4,000.
Results
Division 1
Men's singles: Lee Chong Wei bt Mohd Hafiz Hashim 21-15, 21-18.
Women's singles: Wong Mew Choo bt Julia Wong 21-18, 21-16.
Men's doubles: Chan Chong Ming-Hoon Thien How bt Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Lin Woon Fui 22-20, 22-20.
Women's doubles: Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty bt See Phui Leng-Fong Chew Yen 21-19, 21-16.
Mixed doubles: Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty bt Gan Teik Chai-Fong Chew Yen 21-13, 18-21, 21-15.
Division 2
Men's singles: Kuan Kam Chung bt Lim Fang Yang 21-19, 21-18.
Women's singles: Tiffany Chase Currier bt Sanatasah Saniru 22-20, 22-24, 21-19.
Men's doubles: Ong Jian Goo-Goh Wei Shem bt Lim Khim Wah-Mak Hee Chun 21-19, 17-21, 21-18
Women's doubles: Lim Yee Theng-Ng Paou Ling bt Goh Liu Ying-Hoo Bee Ling 21-16, 21-17.
Mixed doubles: Mak Hee Chun-Sanatasah Saniru-Esther Ratna Devi 21-19, 21-16.

Thursday December 21, 2006

2006-12-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

Lim Kenn provides the only cheer for Project 2010-12 camp
KUALA LUMPUR: Youngster Lim Kenn was the only bright spark for the Project 2010-12 camp in the Kuala Lumpur Open when he reached the men’s singles quarter-finals at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium (KLBA) here yesterday.
The 19-year-old Lim Kenn went the distance to beat teammate Tan Chun Seang 21-10, 13-21, 21-17 in the second round to set up a match against second seed Mohd Hafiz Hashim.
Hafiz chalked up a hard-fought 21-14, 21-18 win over Lim Kenn’s teammate Beryno Wong.
Credit must also be given to Chong Wei Feng and Liew Daren for making it difficult for two national players – K. Yogendran and James Chua.
After a great start, Wei Feng ran out of steam, losing to Yogendran 21-23, 21-12, 8-21 while Daren kept pace with James throughout the match before going down 16-21, 19-21.
In the quarter-finals today, Yogendran will take on top seed Lee Chong Wei while James will play against Kuan Beng Hong.
Bukit Jalil Sports School’s (BJSS) Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Chan Kwong Beng showed their potential, giving the senior players a run for their money.
Arif, who won the boys’ Under-18 title in the 100 Plus National Junior Circuit in Ipoh on Saturday, kept Wong Choong Hann longer on the court before losing 21-18, 10-21, 7-21 while Kwong Beng gave Beng Hong a scare before going down 16-21, 21-14, 14-21.
Choong Hann will take on Yeoh Kay Bin in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Lydia Cheah stayed on track in her bid to win her first senior Open title when she knocked out Pahang’s Tan Sin Lan to set up a match against Stephanie Shalini. The winner will take on second seed Julia Wong.

Indon may join the KL Racket Club

2006-12-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday December 16, 2006By RAJES PAUL
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s KL Racket Club (KLRC) are going international and could soon have a line-up to match the BA of Malaysia.
Already, they have recruited two foreign players – John Moody of New Zealand and Andrew Smith of England – to play under the banner of the professional outfit owned by Datuk Andrew Kam Tai Yeow.
And the icing on the cake looks set to be: Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
Andrew, currently the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) legal adviser and council member, would not deny or confirm speculation that Taufik was poised to join their set-up.
“There is a possibility Taufik will play for the club. That’s all I can say for now,” said Andrew when met at his office at Empire Tower yesterday.
The good relationship between former world champion Taufik and Andrew is an open secret.
Taufik, who recently defended his men’s singles title in the Doha Asian Games, knocking out Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei (semi-finals) and China’s Lin Dan (final) along the way, has frequented the club several times this year for friendly matches.
In fact, Malaysia could be an ideal base for Taufik as he prepares to re-claim the world title when the championship is hosted in Malaysia from Aug 12-19.
“We have several international players knocking on the doors of the club. It will do a world of good for our club to have reputable players as our members,” said Andrew.
Although KLRC are opening theirs door for foreign players, Andrew says the priority remains in providing opportunities for local players.
The KLRC, who were only formed last year June, have become a platform for dropouts from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to revive their badminton careers.
Some of their top players are former internationals Sairul Amar Ayob, Lee Tsuen Seng, Ismail Saman, Joanne Quay, Lim Pek Siah, Chor Hooi Yee, Ang Li Peng and M. Sutheaswari.
The club received a major boost on Tuesday when they signed a sponsorship deal with Amer Sports (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, who own the Wilson brand.
To make it more memorable, Sairul and Tsuen Seng, who were this year’s Dutch and New Zealand Open champions, received RM20,000 each as incentives.
Andrew believes that the club system could be the answer for Malaysian badminton and quashed notions that the club were competing with BAM.
“We are here to complement the national body. We want to give a fair chance to players to prove themselves at international level. We have the same goal as the BAM – to make champions out of our players,” he said. “We do not entertain mediocrity. I have promised my players RM100,000 if they win the All-England title. We are serious in developing the sport. It will be good to revive the club systems as that will increase the pool of players for the country.”
There are 15 players under KLRC, including some promising juniors aged between 18-19 years old.
Two prominent coaches in the set-up are Indonesian adviser Indra Gunawan and Ong Beng Teong.
(Note - KLRC’s Lim Pek Siah-Joanne Quay were selected to represent Malaysia in the Doha Asian Games)

What’s Up and Coming in Malaysia

2006-11-22T05:24:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, 21 November 2006
Malaysia is about to send a young team to the Asian Games, instead of elder players with experience, banking on their results shown recently. A hint that Malaysia’s future is in the right path, with a bunch of players knowing at the door. Our reporter Noorul Azrin takes a look at the Malaysian Junior squad just before they are about to start an important Satelitte tournament at home.
Photo : Noorul Azrin. From left to right :Shafiq Jamaluddin, Chong Li Qun, Daren Liew, Lim Kenn, Chong Wei Feng, Beryno Wong, Tan Chun Seang.
The first thing that catches your attention to these young players is their friendly nature. They smile warmly despite looking tired after finishing their gym training a few minutes ago. “It’s okay. This is just normal training”, smiles Tan Chun Seang when asked if they needed a few minutes rest before the interview on Friday afternoon. The lad is soon joined by his fellow teammates.
The Project 2010-2012 Squad of BA of Malaysia was established in March 2005 to prepare for Asian Games 2010, London Olympic 2012 and Commonwealth Games 2010. The players were selected through state-level selection by Malaysia’s national coach, Misbun Sidek. Initially, thirteen men singles players were selected but last August five members were dropped due to lack of performance. The players left are Lim Kenn (20), Chong Wei Feng (19), Liew Daren (19), Tan Chun Seang (20), Chong Li Qun (19) and Beryno Wong (20). Another player, Azrihanif Azahar switched to doubles. One thing is sure : don’t mess with the rules as one player has already put his stay in jeopardy for skipping training sessions !
Rashid Sidek, Malaysia’s former number one is the Chief Coach and is in charge of the Project’s performance. Rosman Razak and Tey Siu Bock currently assist the three-time Malaysia Open Champion. Hard training but joyful spirit
Their days begin at 8.30am for court training in Bukit Kiara and will finish at 11.30am. By 3pm, they will start gym training in National Sports Council at Bukit Jalil and finish at 5pm. Training takes place everyday except on Sundays. They have half-day training sessions on Thursdays and Saturdays. Their favourite routine is sprinting sessions, which that take place every Thursday.
The squad members have to compete with each other in the team; but they are very much united and give full support to each other during tournaments. During this interview, they teased each other and everyone got the opportunity to be their butt of joke. They all laughed when Chong Wei Feng mentioned about Tan Chun Seang’s defeat during Asian Junior Championship 2004, “He was leading 14-3 but eventually lost to his opponent”. Tan Cun Seang just shook his head, showing that he was still frustrated with that particular match. Lim Kenn, Chong Wei Feng and Tan Chun Seang were part of the Malaysia’s team for World Junior Championship 2004 together with Tan Boon Heong and Hoon Thien How who won Boys Doubles title that year.
When asked about their hopes - apart from having future "pretty pretty wives", all said they wish any of them would win tournament titles to show their gratitude to their coaches. Liew Daren won Taiwan Satellite in August 2005. Nevertheless, they wish they could win more titles.Soon in the big world
Citing Peter Gade, Taufik Hidayat, Lin Dan and Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei as their idols, they yearn for more opportunities to compete in major Open tournaments to expose themselves to these world-class players and hopefully, one day will become one of the world’s best player. Currently, they only compete in Satellite tournaments and selected grand prix events.
Even though they are under pressure of being Malaysia’s next hope in badminton, they all act their age. When we touched the subject of their free time, the young lads began talking excitedly about computer games. They also spend their free time chatting, surfing the internet, shopping and catching up their sleep. Other than badminton, the boys spend their times on other sports too such as football, snooker and bowling.
But hobbies shall wait, as some challenges lie ahead, with head Coach of the Senior team Li Mao who has recently hinted that he could pick some of them to join the elite fairly soon….

Badminton China Open: Chinese rookies shine at home

2006-11-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Source: CCTV.com
10-18-2006 09:19
Chinese shuttlers have all but one cruised into the second round of the men's singles at the China Open, a six-star event of the International Badminton Federation being held in Guangzhou.
18-year-old Chinese rookie Lu Qicheng met Simon Santoso, a rising star of Indonesia, in the first round.
Lu Qicheng made a slow start and lost the first game.
Down 16-19 in the second, Lu Qicheng's offensive game came alive and he notched five points in a row to level the match one all.
Lu's quick rhythm gave him a 21-18 win in the decider, taking the match.
In another match of the day,following a comfortable win in the first game, Chinese Li Yu made too many errors in the second, allowing Wong Beryno of Malaysia to come back from behind.
In the decider Li Yu looked unstoppable. He took the lead after breaking a six-all deadlock and ultimately won the game by a nine-point margin.
In other matches, China's Chen Yu eased past Wong Wai Hong of Chinese Hong Kong. All other Chinese shuttlers made it through to the second round except Gong Weijie.

Vietnamese players win at Vietnam Open Badminton C’ship

2006-11-17T06:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.saigontimes.com.vn/daily/detail.asp?muc=3&Sobao=2821&SoTT=19

Vietnam's No.1 player Nguyen Tien Minh makes a backhand in his match against Wong Wai Hong in HCMC yesterday.
By HUY NGUYEN

(SGT-HCMC) The top seeds won all their matches at the Yonex-Sunrise Vietnam Open 2006 yesterday, including both the remaining Vietnamese players who overpowered their opponents during the HCMC tournament.

The third seed Nguyen Tien Minh, who is Vietnam’s No. 1 ranked player but 60th in the world rankings, overcame 128th-ranked Wong Wai Hong of Hong Kong 21-15 in the first set, and then cruised into the next round with an easy 21-9 score in the second deciding set.

However, perhaps more noteworthy and surprising was Vietnam’s Nguyen Quang Minh’s victory over the 5th seed Hsein Yu-Hsing of Taiwan 15-21, 21-14 and 21-13 in the later game, since he is unseeded.

Meanwhile, top seed Andrew Smith (ranked 15th in the world), survived a scare against Djohan Erwin of Singapore, who is ranked 153rd in the world, to eventually win 2-0. The British player beat the Singaporean 21-17 in the first set and 21-16 in the second set, though it was a close contest.

Then Hong Kong’s Chan Yan Kit, who is ranked 26th in the world, had a fight on his hands before reached to the next round after eventually beating Malaysia’s Wong Beryno 18-21, 21-13 and 26-24.

Elsewhere, in men’s doubles event Hong Chieng Hun and Chew Choon Eng of Malaysia beat Duong Bao Duc and Nguyen Quoc Thai of Vietnam 2-0; Dremin Evgenij and Vasiljev Alexej of Russia knocked out Khoo Kian Teck and Koh Yan Sen of Singapore 2-0; and Chien Yu Hsun and Lin Yu Lang of Taiwan overpowered Lo Lok Ki and Lueng Chun Yiu of Hong Kong at the same score.
In the women’s doubles Chong Sook Chin and Kaur Anita Raj of Malaysia defeated the host nation’s doubles pairing of Pham Thi Trang and Vu Thi Trang 2-0, whilst another Vietnamese doubles team comprising Nguyen Thi Be Tram and Tran Huynh Nga also lost 0-2 to Bae Seung Hee and Kang Joo Young of Korea, and South Korea’s Kwon Hee Sook and Kim Mi Joo also beat Wong Sin Yee and Mong Kwan Yi of Hong Kong 2-0.

Today the tournament will begin at 9 a.m. with the men’s singles and doubles followed by the women’s singles and doubles, then the mixed doubles.

About 81 men and 41 women from England, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the USA and Vietnam registered to fight out the men’s singles and doubles, the women’s singles and doubles, and the mixed doubles.

The US$30,000 tournament has attracted 53 entries for the men’s singles; 30 for the women’s singles; 24 for the men’s doubles; 13 for the women’s doubles; and 19 for the mixed doubles.

The top international tournament is taking place in HCMC until this Sunday at Phan Dinh Phung Indoor Sports Stadium in District 3

Tuesday October 17, 2006

2006-10-16T18:22:00.000-07:00

By RAJES PAUL
PETALING JAYA: National doubles shuttler Chan Chong Ming will be out to make his presence felt when he resumes his partnership with Koo Kien Keat in the US$250,000 China Open, which begins today in Guangzhou.
In a redraw made by the World Badminton Federation (WBF) yesterday, the third-fourth seeded Chong Ming-Kien Keat are in the same quarter as Indonesians Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan. They also have second seeds Jens Eriksen-Martin Lundgaard Hansen of Denmark in the same half.
A good showing in Guangzhou will put them in good stead for the Doha Asian Games in December.
Chong Ming said that he was looking forward to playing in the China Open after having to withdraw from the recent World Championships in Madrid on the eve of the competition last month following the death of his father.
In his absence, Kien Keat featured in only the mixed doubles with Wong Pei Tty and they emerged as the best Malaysian performers – reaching the semi-finals.
In the just concluded Japan Open, Kien Keat partnered youngster Tan Boon Heong and they did well to finish as the runners-up.
Chong Ming said before leaving for Guangzhou yesterday: “It is time for Kien Keat and me to produce more good results for the doubles department. I will give my best shot to make up for my recent absence.”
Besides Chong Ming-Kien Keat, who won the Swiss Open and Melbourne Commonwealth Games titles this year, chief coach Yap Kim Hock is also looking at the other Asiad-bound pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah to give a strong showing in the China Open.
“We had high hopes on the Asiad-bound singles players at the Japan Open. In the China Open, our focus will be on the doubles players for the Asiad. We hope to see better results from them,” said Kim Hock.
At the Japan Open, the top two Malaysian men's singles players – Lee Chong Wei and Mohd Hafiz Hashim – were beaten by Indonesian Taufik Hidayat and eventual champion Lin Dan of China in the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively.
Chong Wei and Hafiz are skipping the China Open.
Tan Fook-Wan Wah have been drawn in the same quarter as archrivals Alven Yulianto-Luluk Hadiyanto of Indonesia. They have top seeds and world champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng of China in their half.
The other men's doubles pairs in the fray are Boon Heong-Hoon Thien How, Gan Teik Chai-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Chew Choon Eng-Hong Chieng Hun.
In the men's singles, Malaysia have Asiad-bound Kuan Beng Hong in the fray. He is likely to play against second seed Chen Jin of China in the third round. The other Malaysians in the men's singles competition are Yeoh Kay Bin, James Chua, K. Yogendran, Tan Chun Senag, Beryno Wong and Pei Wee Chung.
In the women's competition, Malaysia have Wong Mew Choo and Julia Wong in the singles and Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui in the doubles.

Monday October 2, 2006

2006-10-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

PETALING JAYA: Chief coach Rashid Sidek’s request for his Project 2010-12 players to compete in major Open tournaments has finally been approved after several failed attempts.

For a start, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), who want their juniors to step up to the fore, have named two singles players – Beryno Wong Jiann Tze (pic) and Tan Chun Seang – for the China Open in Guangzhou (Oct 17-22).

Besides competing in the Singapore and Thailand Opens, the China Open is the biggest competitive tournaments for the juniors.

The 20-year-old Beryno was picked for his good showing in the Malaysian Open this year when he went down fighting to Lin Dan of China in the third round while Chun Seang is the highest ranked player among the juniors – 111th in the world.

Chun Seang’s participation, however, depends on how quickly he can recover from a muscle tear in his left hand, an injury he picked up during training last week. Rashid will name a replacement if he cannot make it.

Rashid expects the players to benefit from the exposure of playing in the China Open.

“The BAM have approved only two but it is still a good start for my players,” said Rashid.

“If we do not start now, it will be difficult for us to narrow the gap between the juniors and seniors in the team.

“Previously, the juniors could not go for Open tournaments because of budget constraints and could only play in the satellite tournaments. But this group of players are being geared for the 2012 Olympic Games and they need more challenging competitions.

“This opportunity will help the players to be more daring on court. They will get used to playing against stronger opponents. With more exposure at the highest level, it will turn them into ‘thinking’ players eventually.”

Beryno, who was promoted from the state training centre in Sabah last year, was ecstatic.

“I am glad that BAM are sending us out for big tournaments. Playing in China, where the best players in the world are produced, will indeed be a good experience for me,” said Beryno.

“I will be more than satisfied if I can give my opponents a run for their money,” added the 2003 Under-18 National Grand Prix Final’s runner-up.

The BAM are sending the Asian Games-bound players to both the back-to-back Japan and China Opens.

THE SQUADS

JAPAN OPEN (Oct 10-15)

Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei, Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Mohd Roslin Hashim, Kuan Beng Hong, Yeoh Kay Bin, Pei Wee Chung.

Men’s doubles: Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Gan Teik Chai, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.

Women’s singles: Wong Mew Choo, M. Sutheaswari.

Women’s doubles: Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui, Ooi Sock Ai-Mooi Hing Yau, Lim Pek Siah-Joanne Quay Swee Ling.

Mixed doubles: Kien Keat-Pei Tty.

CHINA OPEN (Oct 17-22)

Men’s singles: Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Kuan Beng Hong, Yeoh Kay Bin, Pei Wee Chung, Beryno Wong Jiann Tze, Tan Chun Seang.

Men’s doubles: Koo Kien Keat-Chan Chong Ming, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Gan Teik Chai, Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong, Chew Choon Eng-Hong Chieng Hun.

Women’s singles: Wong Mew Choo, Julia Wong.

Women’s doubles: Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui, Ooi Sock Ai-Mooi Hing Yau.

Mixed doubles: Kien Keat-Pei Tty.

Green light for Beryno and Chun Seang to compete in China Open

2006-10-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Monday October 2, 2006

PETALING JAYA: Chief coach Rashid Sidek’s request for his Project 2010-12 players to compete in major Open tournaments has finally been approved after several failed attempts.
For a start, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), who want their juniors to step up to the fore, have named two singles players – Beryno Wong Jiann Tze (pic) and Tan Chun Seang – for the China Open in Guangzhou (Oct 17-22).
Besides competing in the Singapore and Thailand Opens, the China Open is the biggest competitive tournaments for the juniors.
The 20-year-old Beryno was picked for his good showing in the Malaysian Open this year when he went down fighting to Lin Dan of China in the third round while Chun Seang is the highest ranked player among the juniors – 111th in the world.
Chun Seang’s participation, however, depends on how quickly he can recover from a muscle tear in his left hand, an injury he picked up during training last week. Rashid will name a replacement if he cannot make it.
Rashid expects the players to benefit from the exposure of playing in the China Open.
“The BAM have approved only two but it is still a good start for my players,” said Rashid.
“If we do not start now, it will be difficult for us to narrow the gap between the juniors and seniors in the team.
“Previously, the juniors could not go for Open tournaments because of budget constraints and could only play in the satellite tournaments. But this group of players are being geared for the 2012 Olympic Games and they need more challenging competitions.
“This opportunity will help the players to be more daring on court. They will get used to playing against stronger opponents. With more exposure at the highest level, it will turn them into ‘thinking’ players eventually.”
Beryno, who was promoted from the state training centre in Sabah last year, was ecstatic.
“I am glad that BAM are sending us out for big tournaments. Playing in China, where the best players in the world are produced, will indeed be a good experience for me,” said Beryno.
“I will be more than satisfied if I can give my opponents a run for their money,” added the 2003 Under-18 National Grand Prix Final’s runner-up.
The BAM are sending the Asian Games-bound players to both the back-to-back Japan and China Opens.
THE SQUADS
JAPAN OPEN (Oct 10-15)
Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei, Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Mohd Roslin Hashim, Kuan Beng Hong, Yeoh Kay Bin, Pei Wee Chung.
Men’s doubles: Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Gan Teik Chai, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.
Women’s singles: Wong Mew Choo, M. Sutheaswari.
Women’s doubles: Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui, Ooi Sock Ai-Mooi Hing Yau, Lim Pek Siah-Joanne Quay Swee Ling.
Mixed doubles: Kien Keat-Pei Tty.
CHINA OPEN (Oct 17-22)
Men’s singles: Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Kuan Beng Hong, Yeoh Kay Bin, Pei Wee Chung, Beryno Wong Jiann Tze, Tan Chun Seang.
Men’s doubles: Koo Kien Keat-Chan Chong Ming, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Gan Teik Chai, Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong, Chew Choon Eng-Hong Chieng Hun.
Women’s singles: Wong Mew Choo, Julia Wong.
Women’s doubles: Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui, Ooi Sock Ai-Mooi Hing Yau.
Mixed doubles: Kien Keat-Pei Tty.

Singles shuttlers again fall flat despite Chong Wei’s win

2005-09-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday June 20, 2006
By RAJES PAUL
KUCHING: Apart from Lee Chong Wei's heroics at the Malaysia Open, the other men's singles shuttlers in the national team failed to live up to expectations in Sarawak.
Chong Wei's strong show was the only high point from the men's singles players when he won his third consecutive title in great fashion on Sunday.

TSUEN SENG: Failed to produce resultsThe second seed Chong Wei dug himself out of trouble to upset world number one Lin Dan of China 21-18, 18-21, 23-21 in the final at the Perpaduan Stadium.
But the performances of the other singles players were a huge letdown.
Kuan Beng Hong's misery in international tournaments continued when he failed to get past Germany's second best player Roman Spitko in the second round.
Lee Tsuen Seng, K. Yogendran and James Chua again showed that they are merely making up the numbers with early round defeats.
Yeoh Kay Bin, a back-up player, has showed a slight improvement since coming under the charge of Chinese coach Li Mao but he too failed to make an impact in Kuching.
Nusa Mahsuri's Roslin Hashim and former international Sairul Amar Ayob however, continued to perform better than these back-up players.
Roslin went down fighting to China's Lin Dan in the semi-finals and it showed that the veteran still has the fire to improve while Sairul posed problems for the higher-ranked opponents.
National chief coach Yap Kim Hock said that he was getting tired of giving some of the players in the national team the chance to prove themselves.
“This is the final straw. We are making changes in the singles set-up end of this year after the World Championships (Sept 18-24 in Madrid) and the Asian Games (Dec 1-15 in Doha). Some players will have to go,” said Kim Hock.
“Tsuen Seng especially has been given countless opportunities to prove himself and yet, he has failed to produce the results.”
Kim Hock said that the plan was to promote two players from Rashid Sidek's Project 2010-12 after the Malaysian Games (Sukma) in Kedah recently to the national team but it did not fall through.
“Li Mao was unable to pick the best two. The standard of the juniors are about the same and he could not decide. He will make his pick at the end of this year,” said Kim Hock.
Rashid's charges also took part in the Malaysian Open. Except for Beryno Wong, who put up a fight against Lin Dan, the others showed that they were still not ready for the big league.
The next assignment for the Malaysians is the Taiwan Open starting tomorrow.

New Straits Times » SportPahang Open: Hafiz, Chong Wei renew rivalry K. M. Boopathy June 16:

2005-06-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

New Straits Times » Sport BADMINTON/
THE fierce rivalry between National No 1 Lee Chong Wei and his closest rival Hafiz Hashim in the local circuit will be the highlight again in the Pahang Open badminton championships which begins at the Sukpa Stadium in Kuantan today.
Chong Wei will have a double mission as he will be attempting to maintain his two-year unbeaten run at home, beating Hafiz three times last year. Chong Wei's impressive run at home began with the National Grand Prix finals men's singles crown in January 2003 and the 22-year-old has never looked back since then.Hafiz was on the receiving hand in the finals Selangor and Malacca Opens as well as the 2004 National GP finals. The only time Hafiz had beaten Chong Wei was in the semi-finals of the German Open in March but based on current form, the latter looks to be in prime form.In the Kedah Open, the local circuit's curtain raiser in April, Chong Wei defeated Wong Choong Hann for the title as Hafiz withdrew from the tournament due to a knee injury. However, Hafiz has recovered and will be hoping to reproduce his form on the international stage, which saw him win the Swiss and Thailand Opens this year, in Kuantan. Chong Wei received a bye in the first round and likely to meet back-up player Liew Darren in the second round while Hafiz is expected to meet Beryno Wong of Sabah in the second round. In the last eight, Hafiz is likely to face Lim Kenn or Chong Wei Feng, both from the 2008-2010 project squad, but his biggest test will be against joint third seed Choong Hann in the semi-final. Hafiz is expected to meet fellow national player Yeoh Kay Bin in the last eight and should set up a semi-final showdown against joint third seed Kuan Beng Hong. In the men's doubles, injury-prone veterans Choong Tan Foo-Lee Wan Wah are finally back together since competing in the Athens Olympics last year. Wan Wah underwent a knee surgery in December while Tan Fook suffered a knee injury two months ago and it will interesting to see if the duo can sustain their dominance against their much improved national teammates. They are expected to go past back-up pair Razif Latif-Razif Rahman but a tougher battle awaits them in the quarter-final against second seeds Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock. Bin Shen-Soon Hock are fired up after qualifying for the world championships, to be held in Anaheim, California in August, and are capable of beating Tan Fook-Wan Wah.The winners of the match are likely to meet another national senior pair Lin Woon Fui-Fairuzizuan Tazari in the last semi-finals.

Thursday June 16, 2005

2005-06-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

PETALING JAYA: Youngster Lim Kenn turned the tables on national men’s singles shuttler Lee Tsuen Seng in the quarter-finals of the Kedah Open two months ago.
And national chief coach Yap Kim Hock hopes to see the youngsters chalking up upset victories over the seniors in the Pahang Open, which begins today at the Sukpa Indoor Stadium in Kuantan.
Lim Kenn is one of the players in the Project 2010-12 squad, who are under the charge of Rashid Sidek.
“This is a good opportunity for the juniors to strut their stuff. This is also a platform for coaches to measure the gap between the seniors and juniors in the country,” said Kim Hock.
For the Pahang Open men’s singles event, Lim Kenn has been drawn to meet another junior, Azrihanif Azahar, in the first round.
If Lim Kenn advances, he is tipped to play against Asian Juniors team member Chong Wei Feng. A place in the quarter-finals will give him a match against top seed Lee Chong Wei.
Another youngster, Tan Chun Seang, also has the opportunity to prove himself. He is drawn to play against national discard Ismail Saman in the first round. Chun Seang’s opponent in the second round is national player Kuan Beng Hong.
The other youngsters in the fray are Law Yew Thien, Chong Li Qun, Beryno Wong and Liew Daren

Improper training schedule puts juniors’ programme in disarrayBY RAJES PAUL

2005-03-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

The Star Online > Sports
Thursday March 31, 2005

KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have two Project squads – senior and junior. But the juniors' programme has hit a snag.
The Project 2010-12 Squad have been undergoing tough training for the last one month under the charge of chief coach Rashid Sidek without a proper training schedule.
As the seniors under the 2006-08 programme have the preference to use the facilities at the 18-court Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara, Rashid's group have to constantly make changes to their training plans.
When the seniors are around, they train from 11am-2pm. There is no court training in the afternoon and the players concentrate on physical training, which includes jogging in the vicinity of the stadium and workouts in the gymnasium.
But they get two training sessions and one physical workout when the seniors are away on international duty.
Currently, the seniors together with three of Rashid's charges – Hazwan Jamaluddin and world junior doubles champions Tan Boon Heong-Hoon Thien How – are in Bangkok for the Thai Open.
“The training programme will be better if the juniors have a routine schedule. They don't have to worry where they are going to train week after week,” said Rashid.
“The BAM are looking for a new place to accommodate this squad but nothing has been finalised yet. I need 12 courts for a training session. For now, this is the best we have at the moment and we have to make do with it.”
Rashid also sees a good side in the juniors having to deal with problems in their training schedule.
“In fact, it will be a good practice ground for the juniors. Sometimes, competition schedules change too and this experience will make our juniors be prepared for them. We should not pamper them too much,” he said.
Rashid said that he was pleased with the attitude of the players in training.
“The players know that their places in the squad are not guaranteed. They are following the training diligently,” he said.
“There is no specialised training for each players. There are just too many to handle. For now, everyone goes through the same dose in training.”
There are now 31 players in the team and their first tournament for the year will be the Kedah Open from April 21-24.
Their first international outing is the Thailand Satellite championships from June 1-6 and the major one for the year is the Asian junior tournament from July 11-17 in Jakarta.

New Straits Times » SportSPORTCHECK: Register or face consequences

2005-03-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

By S. Selvam Mar 23:
THE Sports Commissioner does not have the authority to force clubs to register as sports bodies, and only has the power to register, suspend or de-register sports bodies.

And while it is the club's prerogative not to register with the Sports Commissioner's office, Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar emphasised he will not hesitate to act against the taekwondo clubs that masquerade as sports clubs.There are 45 clubs, termed as Associate Members, who are affiliated with the Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA). However, to date, only 12 have applied to be registered with the Sports Commissioner's office. The rest are registered with the Registrar of Business (ROB)."I don't have the authority to force people to register as sports bodies. However, I have the power to register, suspend or de-register sports bodies."If they (taekwondo clubs registered with ROB) don't register with us but behave like sports clubs, then it is against the law (Sports Development Act, 1997). It is the law that requires them to register with us."If they don't, then, I'm empowered to prosecute people who go against the law."Elyas also reiterated that it was mandatory for the ROB-registered clubs to register with his office if they want to be granted voting rights in the MTA and compete or engage in sporting activities."I'm happy to note that the applications from these clubs are coming in everyday. To date, we have 12 applications," added Elyas."If they don't register with us, they cannot compete or be involved in any sporting activities."They can be involved in martial arts but cannot be in the sports aspect of it. Which means, if they want to produce a (the late) Bruce Lee (kung fu star in the 1970s), they can do so."But if they want the Bruce Lees to compete, they must register with us."It is the same for voting rights. Unless they register with us, they cannot be considered for voting rights."The MTA have given Elyas the assurance that they will amend their constitution after the biennial general meeting (BGM) at the end of the month to grant clubs voting rights."I urge them (clubs), advice and encourage them to register with us. I have said my piece, and it is now up to the clubs to decide what they want to do."

28th Feb 2005 Beryno Checks Into BAM

2005-03-06T01:01:00.000-08:00

Beryno reported to the BAM at the Stadium Juara Bukit Kiara training centre.

Training began on the 1st March 2005.

We wish him all the best1.

SportSPORTCHECK: Double assurance

2005-02-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

New Straits Times » Vijesh Rai Feb 24:
More than 100 percent increase in allowances and security of job upon retirement

AN increase of more than 100 percent in allowances and the security of a job upon retirement.Those were Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said's two assurances given to the 138 elite athletes under the Gemilang 2006 Project in a dialogue at the National Sports Council on Tuesday.Currently, the allowances vary from RM100 to RM500 but with the Cabinet Committee having endorsed a proposal to increase the amount, the elite athletes can expect more than double monthly.More importantly, Azalina's assurance that employment will be available upon their retirement as athletes will surely help erase fears over their future."The minister told the athletes that Datuk Seri Najib Razak (Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Cabinet Committee for Sports) had endorsed a recommendation that the allowances be raised," said Gemilang 2006 Steering Committee chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad yesterday."Datuk Seri Najib supported the recommendation simply because the current allowances are too little."For an elite athlete based at the Bukit Jalil Sports School, the allowance is RM100, a university athlete receives RM200 while an unemployed athlete is paid RM500 a month."The figures haven't been finalised but the athletes were assured that there would be an increase of more than 100 percent."Azalina, said Ibrahim, also took the opportunity to allay the fears of athletes that they will be left in the wilderness upon retirement."We are talking to city councils, municipal councils and other Government agencies to provide permanent jobs to the athletes."We are not only talking about the present but also the future. The Sports Minister has spoken to 12, 13 Government-linked companies, city councils and municipal councils."For starters, unemployed athletes in the programme will be offered employment with the councils. We understand that athletes worry about their futures and steps are being taken to ensure their livelihood."The jobs that we are talking about will be on a permanent basis and the athletes will have the option of continuing to work even after they retire."The allowance increase and job assurance come on the heels of a pension scheme announced by Najib after the Cabinet Committee meeting last Monday.Najib announced then that a pension scheme would be introduced for Olympic Games medallists. Although he didn't announce the quantum, it is learnt that a gold medallist will be paid a monthly pension of RM2,000, a silver medallist RM1,500 and RM1,000 for a bronze medallist.The future certainly looks brighter for the athletes, and Malaysian sports now.

Fierce jostle is on for ‘limited’ flight tickets to LA

2005-02-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

The Star Online > Sports
Thursday February 24, 2005

PETALING JAYA: Five singles players and four doubles pairs will be fighting for places in the Malaysian men’s team for the World Badminton Championships in Los Angeles from Aug 15-21 over the next three months.
The five singles players (in world rankings order) are national number one Lee Chong Wei (eighth), Wong Choong Hann (11th), Roslin Hashim (17th), Mohd Hafiz Hashim (19th) and Kuan Beng Hong (26th).
All five will began their bid to move up the world rankings when they compete in the German Open starting next week, which forms the first of the three back-to-back European meets.
Yesterday, doubles player Ong Soon Hock was given the nod to compete in the All-England (March 8-13) and Swiss Open (March 15-20) with partner Tan Bin Shen.
Soon Hock was in danger of being dropped after he injured his back during the Korean Open last month. Kim Hock, however, feels he can recover in time.
Kim Sock said Soon Hock-Bin Shen, who are currently ranked 21st in the world, stand a chance of qualifying for the world meet.
The other pairs who are involved in the scramble for places (in world rankings order) are Lin Woon Fui-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari (17th), Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat (32nd) and Choong Tan Fook-Chew Choon Eng (37th).
Only Chong Ming-Kien Keat and Tan Fook-Choon Eng will compete in the German Open.
Woon Fui-Fairuzizuan, however, stand little chance of making it to Los Angeles. Fairuzizuan has been ruled out of the All-England and Swiss Open with to a shoulder injury. He will need at least one month to recover.
Kim Hock said Woon Fui-Mohd Fairuzizuan are only expected to compete in the Thailand Open (March 29-April 3) and Japan Open (April 5-10).
“It will be harder for them to qualify. They have to wait and see how the other Malaysian pairs fare first.
“The target is to have three doubles pairs in the top 24 and if possible, four singles players for the world championships,” he said.
A country can send a maximum of four representatives for any event if all are ranked inside the top eight and three if they are inside the top 24. The qualifying period for the world meet will end in May. The last major tournament to offer ranking points will be the Sudirman Cup in Beijing from May 10-15.
Chong Wei and Choon Hann are training under Chinese coach Li Mao while Roslin, Hafiz and Beng Hong are training under Misbun Sidek.

Chong Wei to head full-strength squad for Thai Open

2005-02-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

The Star Online > Sports
Thursday February 24, 2005
PETALING JAYA: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will send a full-strength team to the Thailand Open from March 29-April 3, in a bid to get as many shuttlers as possible to qualify for the World Championships in Los Angeles in August.
National number one Lee Chong Wei will lead the Malaysian singles challenge. The other singles players entered for the three-star event are Wong Choong Hann, Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Kuan Beng Hong, Lee Tsuen Seng, Yeoh Kay Bin, K. Yogendran and Mohd Hazwan Jamaluddin.
Vietnam SEA Games champion Wong Mew Choo is the only woman player chosen.
Shouldering the men's doubles challenge are Choong Tan Fook-Chew Choon Eng, Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat, Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock, Lin Woon Fui-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari, Gan Teik Chai-Mohd Zakry and world junior doubles champion Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong.
Ooi Sock Ai-Mooi Hing Yau-Fong Chew Yen will compete in the women's doubles with Fong Chew Yen-See Phui Leng.
Fairuzizuan will double up in the mixed doubles challenge with Sock Ai.

Mock matches held ahead of European tripBY

2005-02-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

The Star Online > Sports
Thursday February 24, 2005
LIM TEIK HUAT
PETALING JAYA: The national badminton team had a good workout three days before their departure for Europe yesterday.
The coaches organised mock “Thomas and Uber Cup” team competitions at Stadium Juara in Bukit Jalil.
The national women's team competed against a team made up of men players from the 2012 Project squad under the charge of Rashid Sidek while the national men's team were divided into two groups – A and B – and played each other.
Although the national women's team lost all their five ties against the 2012 Project squad boys, overall head coach Yap Kim Hock was pleased with their performance.
Wong Mew Choo went down to Tan Zhao Rong 7-15, 10-15 in the first singles while Anita Raj Kaur fell to Lim Chin Loon 8-15, 8-15.
The Project 2012 squad made a clean sweep of the singles matches when Chin Tze Seong defeated Ooi Yu Hang 15-2, 15-3.
Wong Pei Tty partnered Ooi Sock Ai for the first women's doubles match and lost 7-15, 16-17 to Tze Seong-Mohd Hazwan Jamaluddin. Pei Tty's regular partner Chin Eei Hui was down with fever.
Yeoh Kay Loon-Lim Chin Loon completed the whitewash when they beat See Phui Leng-Fong Chew Yen 15-10, 15-9.
Referring to Wong Mew Choo and Anita Raj Kaur's ties for example, Kim Hock said: “All the matches were played under the 15 points system. Mew Choo and Anita went down fighting. This is the spirit I want from the players.”
In the men's “competiton,” Group B's Kuan Beng Hong chalked up a surprise when he beat Wong Choong Hann 15-11, 16-17, 15-4 while national number one Lee Chong Wei downed Roslin Hashim 15-7, 9-15, 15-12.
Mohd Hafiz Hashim kept a clean singles record for Group B when he beat Lee Tsuen Seng 15-8, 13-15, 15-13 after an hour-long battle.
“These matches were held to gauge if the players are ready to do battle in the European meets. The players have been coping well with the training and it is up to them to fight in a competition atmosphere now.
“We'll see how they fare in the German Open. I hope their level of performance will get better when it comes to the All-England.”

“UBER CUP”
Group B 5 Group A 0: Tan Zhao Rong bt Wong Mew Choo 15-7, 15-10; Lim Chin Loon bt Anita Raj Kaur 15-8, 15-8; Chin Tze Seong bt Ooi Yu Hang 15-2, 15-3; Tze Seong-Mohd Hazwan Jamaluddin bt Wong Pei Tty-Ooi Sock Ai 15-7, 17-16; Yeoh Kay Loon-Lim Chin Loon bt See Phui Leng-Fong Chew Yen 15-10, 15-9.
“THOMAS CUP”
Group B 4 Group A 1: Kuan Beng Hong bt Wong Choong Hann 15-11, 16-17, 15-4; Lee Chong Wei bt Roslin Hashim 15-7, 9-15, 15-12; Mohd Hafiz Hashim bt Lee Tsuen Seng 15-8, 13-15, 15-13; Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat lost to Choong Tan Fook-Chew Choon Eng 11-15, 9-15; Ong Soon Hock-Tan Bin Shen bt Lin Woon Fui-Mohd Zakry 15-8, 15-2.

KK Age group tourney begins this Friday

2005-02-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

Venue: Likas Sports Complex
Time:7pm

Let the competition begin!

2005-02-22T20:23:00.000-08:00

Match practice

2005-02-22T20:22:00.000-08:00

Basic skill training. Forehand swing.

2005-02-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

SJK Shan Tao KK Badminton Club

Favourable draw for shuttlers

2005-02-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

New Straits Times » Sport BADMINTON: By K.M. Boopathy Feb 23:

CHINESE coach Li Mao , heading for his first tournament in charge of the national singles players, can look forward to a good outing in the German Open which starts in Mulheim on March 2.

Two of his charges, Lee Chong Wei and Wong Choong Hann, have received favourable draws. Chong Wei, seeded fourth, is in the easiest quarter of the draw and looks good for a semi-final berth.The three-time national champion opens his campaign against a qualifier but faces a tricky second round match against Lee Hyun Il of South Korea.However, Hyun Il has been out of action since the Athens Olympics last year due to a leg injury and with Li Mao at his side, Chong Wei is favoured to win the match.Li Mao was Hyun Il's coach between 2000 and 2004 and should give Chong Wei the right strategy to subdue Hyun Il.In the third round Chong Wei is expected to meet compatriot Sairul Amar Ayub, and assuming he progresses, will meet another Korean, Park Sung Hwan, in the quarter-finals.Chong Wei's major test will come if he makes it to the semi-finals, against second seed Chen Hong of China and this is where Li Mao's ability as a top class coach will be tested.Choong Hann also has an easy first round match against Arif Rasidi of Indonesia, is expected to meet Ukrain's Vladislav Druzchenko in the next round and face either compatriot Kuan Beng Hong or Anders Boesen of Denmark in the third. Choong Hann's quarter-final opponent is expected to be either third seed Bao Chunlai of China or Athens Olympics silver medallist Shon Seung of South Korea.Hafiz Hashim, who is coached by Misbun Sidek, faces a tough third round match against either Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana or Singapore's Ronal Susilo.Lee Tsuen Seng, also coached by Li Mao but undergoing a six-month probation with the national senior squad, should clear the first two rounds with relative ease but will have to bring out his best against title favourite Lin Dan of China in the third round.In the men's doubles, joint fifth seeds Choong Tan Fook-Chew Choon Eng can look forward to a quarter-final berth as they will meet Rupesh Kumar-Sanave Thomas of India in their opening match before coming up against Indonesian back-up pair Markhis Kido-Hendra Setiawan.In the last eight, Tan Fook-Choon Eng face a difficult battle against joint third seeds Sang Yang-Zheng Bo of China.National No 2 Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat have a bumpy road to the semi-finals. They should have no problem beating Germany's Kristoff Hopp-Ingo Kindervater in the first round and also have an edge against Danish pair Rasmus Andersen-Michael Lamp in the second round.To secure a semi-final berth they will have to beat new Korean pairing Lee Jae Jin-Jung Jae Sung. In the women's doubles, Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui are favoured to reach at least the quarter-finals. They meet Aki Akao-Tomomi Matsuda of Japan in the first round and, if things go accordingly, are expected to meet Denmark's Helle Nielsen-Pernille Harder next. Their quarter-final oponents are expected to be Du Jing-Yu Yang of China

SportSPORTCHECK: Path cleared for local coaches

2005-02-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

New Straits Times » By K.M. Boopathy Feb 23:

THE lack of paper qualification will no longer be a hindrance to local coaches who wish to earn a degree in sports science or sports management once the Malaysian Sports Science Academy is up and running.

In fact, the prime goal of the Malaysian Sports Science Academy (MSSA) is to see all local coaches obtain degrees in their related fields without too much emphasis on academic qualifications.The MSSA, to be launched by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tomorrow, is the nation's first tertiary education institute which will specialise in providing certificate, diploma, degree and masters courses in various fields of sports.Its founder and chairman Tan Sri Elyas Omar said that the MSSA's major goal is to provide career-based education for coaches, national sports association officials and athletes without being too worried about paper qualification."The idea of forming the MSSA was mooted about 20 years ago when I was the Kuala Lumpur mayor. We invited the United States Sports Academy (USSA) to conduct short sports management courses and this was when the suggestion to have our own sports science academy came about," said Elyas in KL yesterday."The MSSA will be the first of its kind and our ultimate goal is to see local coaches possess degrees one day."The fact that not all the coaches or players are highly educated and too much emphasis placed on academic excellence will never give them a chance to upgrade their knowledge in management of other sports related fields."The MSSA will look at their sports expertise and look for ways to make them better coaches or administrators by focusing more on practical work."Elyas also said that MSSA will begin by offering short certificate courses with the assistance of the world famous USSA immediately after tomorrow's launch. The targeted group are officials and administrators from the national sports association and officers from the Public Services Department.This will be followed by a diploma course - part-time and full-time - later this year where interested coaches can apply for the various courses on offer which will include coaching, sports science, sports management, journalism and many others.The MSSA's faculty will be based for the time being at Taylor's College which will also provide the professors and lecturers to run the various courses.USSA's chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr Thomas Rosandich said that they will assist the MSSA in training local lecturers, providing the technology to offer on-line courses and also make the academy a centre to develop qualified coaches."USSA warmly welcomes the creation of the MSSA and are confident that this academy will turn out to be a partner par excellence in promoting sports," said Dr Rosandich."We will assist in whichever way possible and with the establishment of the MSSA, I believe KL can become the Mecca of sports in the region."Dr Rosandich also confirmed that a specific course of the Dartfish technology, a famous training method using frame-by-frame video analysis in training, would also be introduce to the Malaysian sporting scene.The MSSA will also focus on turning school teachers into coaches rather than just being physical education teachers."Schools are where talents are nurtured and we need to turn the teachers into coaches. There are about 16,000 schools in the country," said Elyas."The MSSA will offer courses where teachers will be trained to become coaches and not just focus on physical education alone."A seminar on ways to improve the standard of sports in Malaysia will also be held in conjunction with the MSSA's launch tomorrow.

Yonex are back as BAM’s equipment sponsors

2005-02-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

The Star Online > Sports
Tuesday February 22, 2005
KUALA LUMPUR: Yonex are back as the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM)’s equipment sponsors after an absence of five years.
The BAM exco, who met at the Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara here yesterday, have decided to sign a multi-million ringgit deal with Yonex for a five-year period.
And there could be a double joy from Yonex. The established sports equipment company are also seeking to become the association’s title sponsors.
Malaysia’s five-year contract with Gosen ended last year. The 10-year dea with title sponsors Proton has also expired.
Yesterday, BAM president Datuk Nadzmi Mohd Salleh announced that Yonex would be their new equipment sponsors. The players will wear their new attire when they take part in the All-England from March 8-13.
“They have offered us a lucrative package in cash and kind. It will be a five-year contract and we are looking at sponsorships worth more than RM2mil a year,” said Nadzmi.
He said BAM had not finalised their title sponsors although, he added, Yonex were interested in becoming their title sponsors as well.
“Proton are still keen. We are negotiating with Proton and other companies. Now, Yonex have offered to be our title sponsors. We have given them (Yonex) 30 days before a decision is made,” he said.

Tsuen Seng, James get six months to prove themselvesBY

2005-02-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

The Star Online > Sports
Tuesday February 22, 2005
RAJES PAUL
KUALA LUMPUR: National singles shuttler Lee Tsuen Seng and James Chua have been given a grace period of six months to prove themselves or face the axe, this time for good.
Yesterday, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) exco met to endorse the recommendations of chief coaches Yap Kim Hock and Rashid Sidek for their players and coaches under the Project 2006-08 and 2010-12 squads respectively.
James, who was dropped from the squad in 2003, was the only new name included in Kim Hock’s squad. The stocky Sarawakian will be placed under the charge of Chinese coach Li Mao.
Kim Hock said they had decided to give Tsuen Seng and James a final chance to redeem themselves.
“Tsuen Seng has gone through a bad patch in his badminton career over the last two years. He has to do well in international tournaments in the next six months or he has to leave. This is a final chance for him,” Kim Hock told a press conference at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara here yesterday.
The inclusion of James, however, certainly raised eyebrows.
The 2002 Malaysian Open winner, who has been troubled by a string of injuries, has no results to show since he was dropped from the squad and he will need two more months before he can even compete in an international tournament.
Asked why James was included, Kim Hock said: “James was in the pioneer batch that joined BAM (in 1992). Injury is his only problem. We want to give him this final chance. There will be no more chances after this.”
The other players under Kim Hock’s squad will go through yearly assessments.
Meanwhile, Wong Tat Meng has been named as the women’s singles coach instead of Chinese coach Zhou Kejian. Kejian will coach at the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS).
Said Kim Hock: “Tat Meng will be in charge of (the only women’s singles player Wong) Mew Choo but he will have to follow the training programme prepared by Li Mao. Mew Choo’s elder sister, Miew Kheng, will spar with Mew Choo but her main event will be the mixed doubles.”
Like Kim Hock, Rashid also has a new addition to his squad which is geared towards excelling at the 2010 Asian Games and 2012 Olympic Games. He has named Kuala Lumpur’s Raymond Steven, who failed to show up for trials in December.
“We accepted Raymond because he has made an appeal. Besides, he has proven to be a good player and produced results,” said Rashid.
Rashid, however, said he would not tolerate any indiscipline when his squad officially begins training on March 1.
“If a player shows indiscipline, I will not hesitate to drop him or her. I will only keep players who show commitment and have potential to go far. I do not want them to waste their time and mine,” he added.
All his players will be sent for their first tournament at the Vietnam Satellite in May, except for world junior champions Tan Boon Heong and Hoon Thien How. The pair will compete in higher ranked tournaments, like the upcoming Thailand Open from March 29-April 3.

BADMINTON: Chua, Tsuen Seng, Steven get second chance

2005-02-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

New Straits Times » Sport By K.M. Boopathy Feb 22:
THE BA of Malaysia (BAM) have given James Chua , Lee Tsuen Seng and Raymond Steven a second chance by including them in their Project 2006-2008 and Project 2010-2012 squads respectively.
The decision was made during BAM's coaching and training committee meeting yesterday and was later approved by the executive committee later. The injury-prone Chua, who quit the national team last year to undergo a knee operation, and Tsuen Seng, who has been under-performing for the last two years, will be under six months probation in the project 2006-2008 squad. Chief coach Yap Kim Hock said that a review will be done after the World Championships in August and they will be dropped if they fail to perform. Steven, who was left out of the project 2010-2012 squad after missing the trials last year, was included by project chief Rashid Sidek. Project 2006-2008 squad - Chief coach: Yap Kim Hock.Men's singles: Wong Choong Hann, Lee Chong Wei, Hafiz Hashim, Lee Tsuen Seng, Kuan Beng Hong, Yeoh Kay Bin, K. Yogendran, James Chua. Coaches: Li Mao, Misbun Sidek.Doubles: Choong Tan Fook-Chew Choon Eng, Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat, Ong Soon Hock-Tan Bin Shen, Fairuzizuan Tazari-Lin Woon Fui, Zakry Latif-Gan Teik Chai, Lee Wan Wah. Coaches: Yap Kim Hock, Chang Kim Wai.Women's singles: Wong Mew Choo, Wong Mew Kheng (sparring partner). Coach: Wong Tat Meng.Doubles: Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui, Ooi Sock Ai-Mooi Hing Yau, See Phui Leng-Fong Chew Yen. Coach: Cheah Soon Kit.Mixed doubles: Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty, Fairuzizuan Tazari-Lin Woon Fui, Gan Teik Chai-Fong Chew Yen, Zakry Latif-Wong Mew Kheng. Coach: Pang Cheh Chang. Project 2010-2012 - Chief coach: Rashid Sidek. Men's singles: Azrihanif Azahar, Law Yew Thien, Beryno Wong, Lim Chen Wet, Chong Wei Feng, Lim Kenn, Shafiq Jamaluddin, Tan Chun Seang, Hafiz Shaharuddin, Lee Hock Lai, Leong Kok Ping, Hazwan Jamaluddin, Raymond Steven. Coaches: Rashid Sidek, Tey Siu Bock. Doubles: Chin Tze Seong-Goh Ying Jin, Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong, Au Kok Leong-Khoo Chung Chiat, Razif Latif-Razif Rahman. Coach: Rosman Razak. Women's singles: Anita Kaur, Julia Wong, Norsyahliza Baharom, Ooi Yu Hang, Daphne Ting. Coach: Woon Sze Mei. Doubles: How Chiou Hwee, Yee Qui Hsiang, Sabrina Chong.

Sportcheck: Kok Chi: Not wise to force the issue on clubs

2005-02-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

Feb 14:

IF you ask Datuk Sieh Kok Chi’s views on clubs being directly affiliated to the national body issue, he will tell you not to compare apples with oranges.
To introduce or to force a change of the present structure without a deeper study to find out how many clubs wish to become direct members of the national sports associations (NSAs), according to Kok Chi, would not be wise.He added NSAs cannot and should not admit individual clubs, directly as members, as it would tantamount to saying a club is equivalent to a State. Similarly, the same principle applies to State Sports Associations (SSAs), who should not admit individuals as members, but only clubs.The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary questioned what the great rush to impose changes was all about, especially when the majority of the clubs are quite happy with the existing situation.“The agenda is being pursued by only a couple proprietors of so called “clubs”, which are really “profit making sport business“ and they are not satisfied just making money, but also wish to show how powerful they are. “The way to go is to ensure we compare apples with apples and not apples with oranges.“There are a number of NSAs established a long time ago, with States as their members, which are doing well.“There are also a few newer NSAs of less popular sports, who have been established with clubs as members and doing well,” said Kok Chi.The former water polo player said before any move to allow clubs to be directly affiliated to their respective NSAs, there is a more urgent need to revamp the SSAs.“At present, there are a number of SSAs, whose memberships are a mixture of individuals and clubs.“Under such situations, the few individual members control the SSAs, because they can easily out vote the clubs.“To perpetuate their powers, the office bearers of such SSAs control the admission of individual members and clubs very tightly. This is where the discontentment and unfairness exist, not at NSAs level but at the SSAs level. The correct action to take is as follows:* Ensure that no individuals can be direct members of SSAs with voting rights;* Only clubs can be members of SSAs with voting rights;* Incumbent office bearers shall have no votes during elections of office bearers, unless they are delegates of clubs.* Ensure one of the main objectives of SSAs is to form as many clubs as possible within their states.“Of late there is a new entry of so-called “clubs”, who are actually individual profit making sports businesses, under the Registrar of Companies (ROC). This group of individual business people are just like other individuals interested in sports.“They too have no constitutions and are answerable to themselves only. They come and go and when their business fail, they too will disappear to look for greener pastures,” he said.

BERITA HARIAN 17/2/05 Kelab perlu daftar dengan PPS

2005-02-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

- Sukan -

Oleh Lukman Salleh
PESURUHJAYA Sukan, Tan Sri Elyas Omar mengarahkan semua kelab yang berasaskan sukan memastikan mereka berdaftar dengan Pejabat Pesuruhjaya Sukan (PPS) agar mereka boleh melaksanakan aktiviti secara sah.
Ini kerana, ada kelab sukan didaftarkan dengan Pendaftar Syarikat (ROC) atau Pendaftar Perniagaan (ROB) sekali gus tidak sah melaksanakan aktiviti sukan.Menurut Elyas, kelab terbabit perlulah mendaftar dengan PPS untuk diiktiraf sebagai sebuah kelab sukan dan membolehkannya bergiat termasuk kemungkinan bergabung dengan persatuan induk kebangsaan.Beliau berkata demikian ketika berdialog dengan Persatuan Taekwondo Malaysia (MTA) dan wakil kelab-kelab taekwondo berhubung isu keanggotaan dan kuasa mengundi kelab dalam MTA, di Bukit Jalil semalam.Penjelasan beliau itu secara langsung menjawab tuntutan pelbagai persatuan sukan pada majlis dialog berasingan kelmarin agar Pesuruhjaya Sukan mengeluarkan tarif jelas mengenai status kelab sukan dan hak-haknya.“Anda (kelab) perlu mendaftar dengan Pejabat Pesuruhjaya Sukan untuk melaksanakan aktiviti sukan masing-masing.“Jika anda tidak berdaftar dengan Pejabat Pesuruhjaya Sukan sebaliknya dengan ROB atau ROC, kami tidak akan memberi perhatian kepada anda dan apa (aktiviti) yang anda lakukan bukan kepentingan kepada kami.“Maka, anda perlu berdaftar dengan Pejabat Pesuruhjaya Sukan mulai sekarang,” kata Elyas semalam.Sebelum ini beberapa kelab taekwondo menuntut diberikan hak bersuara dan mengundi serta diterima sebagai ahli gabungan penuh dalam persatuan induk kebangsaan.Ini mendorong PPS kelmarin menganjurkan dialog bersama badan sukan kebangsaan untuk membincangkan isu itu.Akta Pembangunan Sukan 1997, Bahagian V (Pendaftaran dan Penyelia Badan Sukan) Seksyen 15 (1) menyebut: Tiap-tiap badan sukan hendaklah memohon kepada Pesuruhjaya Sukan supaya didaftarkan di bawah Akta ini bagi menjalankan apa-apa aktiviti sukan.Seksyen 15 (2) selanjutnya menjelaskan bahawa “Tiada badan sukan boleh menjalankan mana-mana aktiviti yang disebut dalam subseksyen 25 (1) sehingga dan melainkan jika ia telah didaftarkan di bawah Akta ini.Manakala di bawah Bahagian VII (Pelbagai) Seksyen 36 (1) menyebut: Sesuatu syarikat tidak boleh terbabit dalam apa-apa aktiviti sukan atau dalam apa-apa aktiviti lain berkaitan dengan sukan, yang ditetapkan oleh Menteri dalam peraturan-peraturan, melainkan jika ia dilesenkan berbuat demikian oleh Pesuruhjaya Sukan.Subseksyen 2 bahagian sama pula menjelaskan bahawa lesen yang disebut dalam subseksyen (1) boleh dikenakan fee (yuran) dan apa-apa syarat yang difikirkan oleh Pesuruhjaya Sukan patut dikenakan.Penjelasan ini mungkin dalam meleraikan kekusutan mengenai perbalahan antara kelab sukan dan persatuan induk kebangsaan dan seharusnya PPS mengeluarkan arahan dan kenyataan jelas mengenai pendaftaran dan peraturan badan sukan termasuk ‘kelab sukan’.

SportSPORTCHECK: Azalina: Clubs still the way forward

2005-02-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

New Straits Times » S. Selvam Feb 16:
CLUBS, even as the definition and right to vote are heatedly contested, are the key to the future of Malaysian sports.

Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said believes the present State-based system has not taken Malaysian sports farther than it should. As such, the time has come for some soul searching and review of the present structure."The clubs are the key to the future of Malaysian sports. Clubs are the source of talents and success of countries in Europe, and I believe they have a major role to play here as well," said Azalina after officiating the dialogue on Role of clubs in Malaysian sports at the International Youth Centre in Cheras yesterday.Organised by the Sports Commissioner’s office, the dialogue was for representatives of the 45 national sports associations in the country."The present system does not seem able to take us to the next level and we have to look at a new approach," added Azalina."Without the clubs, there can be no competitions at the districts or grassroots levels. And since the focus on the eight core sports is to go right to the grassroots, we need the clubs."The question, it seems, is whether to give clubs voting rights or not. And if yes, how many votes should be given."At the dialogue, Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar presented five different models to incorporate the clubs into the present sports structure as well as a formula to grant clubs voting rights."The fear, it would seem, is that a small club may out-vote a State or who will out-vote whom. But we are not interested in any party or body out-voting the other," said Elyas."It is about everybody having a say in the management of the sport."In the centre of the controversy is the Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) which have been ordered by Azalina to amend its constitution to grant clubs voting rights.But MTA’s extraordinary general council (EGC) meeting on Feb 1 failed to come to a compromise and a dialogue will be held today between Elyas, MTA and its affiliates."I’m not here to take sides but whatever action taken will be for the best interest of sports," said Elyas."Not all clubs will be eligible for voting rights as it will depend on which category the club falls in."If it is a Category C club, it will only be affiliated to the district association. But if it is a Category A club, it will be affiliated directly to the national body.Only trouble is, MTA seem to have a hard time accepting it.

COUNTERPOINT: Include coaches in pension scheme

2005-02-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

New Straits Times » Sport
Lazarus Rokk Feb 16:
FINALLY, after what seemed like a lifetime, it will now be easier to convince averse parents of aspiring national athletes, that excellence in sport can endow an athlete with just as much security — after his or her shelf life is over — as a sound education would.

And it’s all thanks largely to the lifelong pension from the Government for Olympic medallists that was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak after he had chaired the second meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Sports two days ago.The plan, it’s understood, will be RM2,000 for gold, RM1,500 for silver, and RM1,000 for bronze medallists per month for the rest of their lives after they have retired from competition.The committee, according to Najib, will also be reviewing other needs like insurance, and medical coverage in Government hospitals.And this is as good a start as any in a nation’s pursuit — fronted by Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said — to resuscitate a dying sports culture.But while Najib and Co are working out the fine details, they would do well to extend these privileges to achievers in the non-Olympic sports as well. But having said that, the achievements should be solely confined to the highest level in the sport.A panel comprising officials from the National Sports Council, the Olympic Council of Malaysia, and independent members could ascertain what that pinnacle would be for each sport.For football, a place in the World Cup Finals, will be the pinnacle for Malaysian football.But everyone seems to have forgotten one important component here. What about the local coaches, or trainers who have produced these champions, shouldn’t they benefit from this scheme as well?Apart from the yearly awards that are accorded on them, coaches have otherwise not been beneficiaries of attractive incentive schemes.But now that exciting changes are in the offing, we should include coaches in this equation as well, as they are an integral element in the success of an athlete, especially in the Malaysian environment.Another piece of news that many of us were excited about was that after 20 years of pursuing this subject, the Cabinet Committee also decided that it was time to apply the scientific approach in preparation of athletes, beginning with the Gemilang 2006 programme for the Doha Asian Games.The 138 athletes preparing for Doha will have, for the first time, a team comprising psychologists, nutritionists, masseurs, fitness and weight trainers, and other support staff.But what appears to be missing from this team of experts, is a team of scientists to bring in the research and development (R & D) element into preparation of athletes.If we are talking about achieving success at the highest levels, we won’t be able to do it without this factor. This R & D element, which is a crucial component in the developed nations, is virtually unheard of in this part of the world.If Malaysian sport is to reach that pinnacle, it will have to evolve scientifically as well.But all in all, the signs have been very encouraging. Now what it takes would be to put decisions into gear, and the grand plan on the road to world sporting excellence.

Pension scheme for athletes gets the thumbs-up sign from sports fraternity

2005-02-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

The Star Online > Sports
Tuesday February 15, 2005

PETALING JAYA: The long-awaited pension scheme for the national athletes, which was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday, was greeted with delight by the Malaysian sports fraternity.
National athletes, sports officials and former Olympians all gave the thumbs up to the Government’s decision to give out monthly pension for life to the Olympic medallists when they retire from their respective sports.
Najib announced the “good news” after chairing the second Cabinet Committee on Sports Development at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur.
Although the monthly quantum has not been decided, the move is seen as a big step towards boosting Malaysia’s chances of winning medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Malaysia came back empty-handed from the Sydney Games in 2000 and Athens last year.
So far, Malaysia have only four medals in the Olympics – all from badminton.
The Sidek brothers – Razif and Jalani – bagged a bronze in the men's doubles in Barcelona in 1992. Four years later in Atlanta, their younger brother Rashid bagged a bronze in the singles while Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock captured a silver in the doubles.
Asked to comment on the pension scheme yesterday, national top singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei said he was all for it.
“This is good news not only to me but to all the other athletes who will be more spirited in training. I, for one, will be more motivated towards winning a medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” said the 22-year-old Chong Wei.
The pension scheme is meant for the current athletes. A decision on whether previous Olympic medallists will benefit from it will be decided later.
Nevertheless, Rashid, Kim Hock and Soon Kit were happy with the Government’s decision to provide financial security for the athletes when they retire from sports.
The 37-year-old Rashid said: “It has been a long wait to see something like this take off. I am happy. I may not get to enjoy it but the future players will benefit from it.”
Both Kim Hock and Soon Kit felt that it would motivate the current batch of national badminton players to strive harder to achieve excellence.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah feels that the pension scheme will help to re-ignite the passion of the national footballers.
Malaysian football has been in the doldrums for more than two decades although the national team did make the cut for the Olympics during their heydays in 1972 (Munich) and 1980 (Moscow).
While applauding the government’s noble move, Datuk Ho Koh Chye, who is the Malaysian Olympians Association (MOA) vice-president, voiced his concern for the non-Olympic sports.
“I would like to appeal to the committee to look at other sports that are not in the Olympics but in which we excel in. I am talking about sports like bowling and squash where our athletes have achieved world class results,” he said.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi also supported the Government’s pension scheme but warned against expecting too much from the athletes.
“Yes, it will motivate the athletes. But we have to be realistic. We can only excel in several sports in the Olympics.”
Realistically, the sport that is expected to greatly benefit from the scheme is badminton. Based on the current state of sports in Malaysia, it will take a while before the other sports turn up as serious contenders for medals at the Olympics.

Malay Mali Sportcheck: Kok Chi: Not wise to force the issue on clubs

2005-02-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

Feb 14:
IF you ask Datuk Sieh Kok Chi’s views on clubs being directly affiliated to the national body issue, he will tell you not to compare apples with oranges.
To introduce or to force a change of the present structure without a deeper study to find out how many clubs wish to become direct members of the national sports associations (NSAs), according to Kok Chi, would not be wise.He added NSAs cannot and should not admit individual clubs, directly as members, as it would tantamount to saying a club is equivalent to a State. Similarly, the same principle applies to State Sports Associations (SSAs), who should not admit individuals as members, but only clubs.The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary questioned what the great rush to impose changes was all about, especially when the majority of the clubs are quite happy with the existing situation.“The agenda is being pursued by only a couple proprietors of so called “clubs”, which are really “profit making sport business“ and they are not satisfied just making money, but also wish to show how powerful they are. “The way to go is to ensure we compare apples with apples and not apples with oranges.“There are a number of NSAs established a long time ago, with States as their members, which are doing well.“There are also a few newer NSAs of less popular sports, who have been established with clubs as members and doing well,” said Kok Chi.The former water polo player said before any move to allow clubs to be directly affiliated to their respective NSAs, there is a more urgent need to revamp the SSAs.“At present, there are a number of SSAs, whose memberships are a mixture of individuals and clubs.“Under such situations, the few individual members control the SSAs, because they can easily out vote the clubs.“To perpetuate their powers, the office bearers of such SSAs control the admission of individual members and clubs very tightly. This is where the discontentment and unfairness exist, not at NSAs level but at the SSAs level. The correct action to take is as follows:* Ensure that no individuals can be direct members of SSAs with voting rights;* Only clubs can be members of SSAs with voting rights;* Incumbent office bearers shall have no votes during elections of office bearers, unless they are delegates of clubs.* Ensure one of the main objectives of SSAs is to form as many clubs as possible within their states.“Of late there is a new entry of so-called “clubs”, who are actually individual profit making sports businesses, under the Registrar of Companies (ROC). This group of individual business people are just like other individuals interested in sports.“They too have no constitutions and are answerable to themselves only. They come and go and when their business fail, they too will disappear to look for greener pastures,” he said.

Cheap Yonex Rackets In Thailand!

2005-02-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben_minton
Duke2000, U$85 for AT800 + accessories is truely a good buy. Is it possible for u to identify the shop & tel. I may tell my colleagues to pop in & get me one when he go to Bangkok next month.I've call several shops today,The cheapest place is behind Sanam-Sup National Stadium There are several shops around there. (not far from MBK Mar-Boon-Klong Center) The price for AT800OF (TH) as of today is 3,300 Baht ~ US$87 (38 Baht = 1 USD) come with armortech cover but without string. If you want it string, you need to add US$4-5 to get YY string like BG68ti, BG66, BG85, etc. (Labor always free in Thailand)The average price (from the other places, except in the mall) are around 3500-3990 Baht ~ US$92-105 Most of them give you a free custom string of your choice (Yonex string) So, the price are not much diffrent. All of them (that I call) are not accept international order (They are not good at English and don't wan't to mess with shipping, currency exchange, custom and etc.) PM me if anyone want any more information.

New Straits Times » Sport: SPORTCHECK: Register for the money, clubs told

2005-02-09T05:36:00.000-08:00

New Straits Times » Sport SPORTCHECK: Register for the money, clubs told K.M. Boopathy Feb 9:
ALL sport clubs, as far as Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said is concerned, must be registered with the Sports Commissioner's office to enable them to receive direct funding.
The present structure where clubs come under the jurisdiction of national and State associations means the clubs are at their mercy and Azalina feels this should change.Azalina's reasoning, should it materialise, will also surely see a rebirth of the club structure in Malaysia."Our system has enabled the national associations to dictate terms and control the clubs. I prefer the clubs getting direct funding for development," said Azalina at her Ministry yesterday.THROW IN: Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said (right) throws footballs to reporters after the Everton-Rakan Muda clinics launch in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. On the left and second left are FAM vice-presidents Datuk Seri Ibrahim Saad and Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin respectively. — Pic: KHAIRUL GHAZALIShe had earlier launched the Everton-Rakan Muda football clinics.While some feel that the States will "die' if clubs become direct affiliates of national associations, Azalina is all for it."This can happen if the clubs register with the Sports Commissioner's Office."By doing so, the active clubs can be considered for funding without having to seek the approval of the national associations."Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar will meet with the national associations on Tuesday to discuss a proposal which will allow clubs direct affiliation to them and Azalina said she supports the move."What matters is the development of athletes and that is why I prefer to have a system where clubs can get direct funding from the ministry."If we maintain the present structure where the funding is given to the national associations, I don't think the clubs can benefit as the national associations will still be calling the shots."Azalina focused her argument on taekwondo where most clubs have been doing sound development work but the Malaysian Taekwondo Association feel that they should be "returned" to the States.The clubs, termed associate members by the MTA, are directly affiliated to the national body currently but without voting rights. Azalina has already directed the MTA to accommodate the clubs and amend their constitution in order to give the clubs voting rights.However, the MTA have not adhered to the directive although they held their extraordinary general council (EGC) meeting on Feb 1.Instead, they have given their State affiliates a month to decide whether the clubs should be given voting rights. In fact, the MTA have already served notice of their Biennial General Council (BGC) on March 26.Azalina said that she has left the issue to Elyas to handle as he will be meeting the MTA, the States and clubs next Wednesday in a forum. But with Azalina committed to a thriving clubs structure, the forum should only be about getting the right formula where MTA's State affiliates will operate on the same level as the clubs.

2005-02-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Beryno Wong Gets Selected To BAM Under Rashid Sidek

Beryno Wong Selected To BAM 2/2/2005

2005-02-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

The Star Online > Sports
Tuesday February 1, 2005
Finally, Yew Thien makes the gradeBY RAJES PAUL
KUALA LUMPUR: Law Yew Thien's wish to join the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) fold has finally been granted.
The 21-year-old Kuala Lumpur shuttler, who has consistently defeated Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) players in junior competitions over the last one-year, will be drafted into the Project 2010-12 Squad under the charge of Rashid Sidek.
Yew Thien, who trained briefly under Chinese coach Han Jian at the Pelikan Badminton Academy in 1999, had previously been unsuccessful in his bids to get into the BAM training squad.
But he has proved his worth. His notable results last year included a semi-final appearance in Sukma (Malaysia Games); the KL Division Two title; and a runner-up finish in Division Two of the Selangor Open.

IN:Penang's Lee Hock Lai has also been drafted in the Project 2010-12 Squad.Besides Yew Thien, five other state players are expected to start training under Rashid at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara here after the Chinese New Year holidays.
They are Yew Thien's teammate Lim Chen Wet, Sabah's Beryno Wong, Negri Sembilan's Leong Kok Ping and Penang's Lee Hock Lai and Daphine Ng.
All the members of the last year's squad to the world junior championships – Azrihanif Azahar, Lim Kenn, Tan Chun Seang, Chong Wei Feng, Tan Boon Heong, Hoon Thien How, Anita Raj Kaur and Chiou How Chee – will also be in the squad.
Uber Cuppers Norsyahliza Baharum and Julia Wong, who took a break to concentrate on the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations last year, will also make a return to national training.
Players in the Project 2010-12 Squad are the back-up to the senior national team (Project 2006-2008).
Rashid said yesterday that he would recommend 26 players, who participated in a selection trial in December, for inclusion in the squad to the BAM's coaching and training committee.
“We lack juniors between the ages of 18 and 20 and I have decided to give all of them who turned up for trials a chance to prove themselves,” he said.
But he added that he had not closed the door on those who did not take part in the trials.
“There are several junior tournaments this year and I will offer places to those who show good potential,” said Rashid.
The first junior tournament lined up for the year is the 100 Plus Power Junior Circuit (1) from March 17-20. It will be played in two zones – north and south in Perlis and Malacca respectively.

Next Tournament Date

2004-12-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

KK Age Group (12,14,16,18) will be held on the 25th Feb 2005.

Selected players will represent the zone to the state level tournament.

2004-12-19T02:53:00.000-08:00

A view Of Likas Bay, Kota Kinabalu Sabah. Close to where our training centre is.

Back from KL

2004-12-19T02:46:00.000-08:00

Kiw Nyuk Chuen, Tan See Hwa, Adriana Anscelly & Victor Bong returned from BAM after a 10 day attachment there. They Gained valuable insight to how the national team & juniors trained.

Beryno Wong & Ng Paou Ling should be back from attending the National Trials which concluded yesterday.

Notable results were Beryno beating Asrihanif H 15-10, 15-8. Beating Lim Kenn 15-10, 15-10.
Beryno Lost to Syafiq & Tan Chun Seang in 3 games.

2004-12-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

2004 Sabah State Closed Championship- Papar
(Left-right) Florah Ng Ladies Runners Up Singles
Ng Paou Ling Ladies Doubles & Mixed Double Champion
Michele Chong Ladies Singles & Doubles Champion
Beryno Wong Men's Singles & Mixed Doubles Champion

2004-12-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

Likas Complex Lake- where jogging training is held

2004-12-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Michele Chong

2004-12-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

Adrian, Joseph, Alvin & Joseph - juniors players

2004-12-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

Chlis Nurdianto @ Lokman

2004-12-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

Joethan Chin, 8 years old & future Champ?

2004-12-02T07:45:00.001-08:00

Winson Neo 2004 National Under 12 Grand Prix Champion

2004-12-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

Likas Stadium view from outside

2004-12-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Sunset along Papar

2004-12-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

Coach Malik's (left) Open House at Papar during Hari Raya 2004. Player Charles & Beryno

2004-12-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

LIKAS MULTIPURPOSE STADIUM

1st post!

2004-12-02T05:21:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of posting. very nteresting indeed.

There will be a Sabah State Badminton Closed Championship held in Papar( 50km of Kota Kinabalu) starting tomorrow.

Training for the boys and girls today was light as the battle will begin tomorrow.