World No. 1 wants BAM to solve two problems

PETALING JAYA: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei hopes that the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will solve two of his problems in his preparations for the world championships in August.

Chong Wei is concerned over the constant change of venue from the national training centre at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara to other locations.

And he hopes that the BAM will minimise unwarranted difficulties for the players - especially those preparing for the world championships.

Due to the Sukma (Malaysia Games) netball competitions at the Juara Stadium, the BAM had to move the training sessions for all groups of shuttlers – elite, back-up and Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) – to different venues this week.

“The players have been moving around this week. But this is not something new. Whenever, there are events at Juara Stadium, we have to be like nomads,” said Chong Wei yesterday.

“We wait for the coaches to tell us the training locations every day. Sometimes, it is at Wangsa Maju, Petaling Jaya and Bukit Jalil,” he said. “The best for all players is to train at one place. It is nothing like being ‘home’ at a familiar training ground. Now, we also have to spend extra time on the road.”

Chong Wei hoped that BAM would expedite their big plan to build their own national training centre, which was proposed to be off the Kesas Highway at Awan Besar.

“I am speaking on behalf of all the players. Ad hoc arrangements are cumbersome. Hopefully, we do not have to change training venues anymore after this. And it is also my hope that the BAM would work fast on getting their own national centre.”

Chong Wei also wished that the BAM would reschedule the Johor Open slated for July 14-17, which will be held just two weeks before the world championship-bound shuttlers leave for centralised training in Bath.

It is compulsory for all the national shuttlers to compete in the annual domestic event.

“I would rather skip the Johor Open and focus on my preparations for the world championships. Hopefully, the BAM can set new dates for the event,” said Chong Wei.

“I do not plan to compete if they are unable to do so. I guess, I will just miss out on an opportunity to compete in this year’s National GP Finals.”

Chong Wei did not take part in the opening leg of the circuit in Kuala Lumpur in April because of other obligations. Only the top 16 players after the two-leg circuit qualify for the Finals.

Last year, Chong Wei competed in one of the two legs and went on to nail a ninth national title.

Posted by Lucas Liau on 7:17 PM. Filed under Latest News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0