No more tourneys for Olympic-bound Choong-Lee
News 10:02 AM
KUALA LUMPUR: The top ranked Malaysian men’s pair of Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah will not take part in any more tournaments until the Beijing Olympics in August.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia coaching committee met yesterday and decided to withdraw their entry for the Singapore Open from June 10-15.
It was also decided that Wan Wah-Tan Fook and the second pair for the Olympics, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, will also not compete in the Indonesian Open from June 17-22.
But Kien Keat-Boon Heong have been given the nod to compete in the Singapore Open and they will be the third seeds.
Both Open tournaments in Singapore and Indonesia are the two Super Series events before the Beijing Olympics. But changes in the world rankings after the two tournaments will not affect the seedings for the Olympics, which is determined by the list on May 1.
Tan Fook-Wan Wah are set to be the fourth seeds in their third and final outing in the Olympics.
The veteran pair’s participation in the Olympics was in doubt after Wan Wah sustained a shoulder injury in the Thomas Cup Finals in Jakarta last month. But Wan Wah has been declared fit for participation in Beijing.
Given their age, it was felt that staying at home to prepare for the Olympics was the better choice than having them go through the strain of competition.
Chief coach Yap Kim Hock said that they wanted to ensure that Tan Fook and Wan Wah, who are both 32, will be in the best condition for the Olympics.
“Tan Fook-Wan Wah will be the only seeded Malaysian men’s pair in the Olympics. We want them to be in the best physical condition because we can no longer replace the entries. They will remain at home to polish up their skills,” he said.
“We agreed to let Kien Keat-Boon Heong participate in at least one tournament because they are still young and able to recover faster compared to Tan Fook-Wan Wah.”
Kim Hock added that there would be no changes in the competition programme for the two men’s singles players bound for Beijing and Lee Chong Wei and Wong Choong Hann are down to compete in Singapore and Indonesia.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 10:02 AM.
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