Don’t rush to judge badminton team after Games setback, says BAM

BAM secretary-general Kenny Goh warns against overreacting to one disappointing campaign after the squad fails to achieve its four-gold target.

BAM secretary-general Kenny Goh said an internal review will still be needed to understand what went wrong during the badminton team’s campaign at the SEA Games.

PETALING JAYA:

 Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Kenny Goh has warned against hastily passing judgment on the national team following its failure to meet the four-gold target at the SEA Games in Thailand, which conclude today.

Goh, who is also the deputy chef de mission for the Malaysian contingent, said the SEA Games outcome should not be viewed in isolation, Bernama reported.

He said the national setup follows both short- and long-term planning, anchored on clearly defined performance milestones.

“We have set the milestones, and one of them is, of course, the SEA Games. Maybe they did not achieve the milestone there, but in the World Tour Finals, they may still achieve it.

“So, what is important is to monitor the milestone, and if they are on the milestone, it means they are on the right track,” he said.

Goh warned that overreacting to one disappointing campaign could be counterproductive to the sport’s long-term development.

He said an internal review would still be necessary to understand what went wrong during the SEA Games campaign and to ensure future targets remain on track.

Despite fielding a star-studded line-up, including 2022 men’s doubles world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and reigning mixed doubles world champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, the team finished with one gold, two silver and six bronze medals.

In the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, the badminton team clinched only two silver and four bronze medals. - FMT