Malaysian shuttlers will be undergoing extensive preparations for the upcoming Thomas & Uber Cup, which is set to take place in Kunshan, China from the 15th to 22nd of May.
Badminton Association of Malaysia’s Technical Director Morten Frost insists that they are setting high expectations for this edition of the tournament, with hopes of emulating their feat in 2014, when they reached the final, only to lose to Japan.
“Thomas and Uber Cup will always attract the eyes of the badminton world, just like the Olympic games. Hence, we’ll be undergoing thorough preparations to ensure that the team is ready to face the challenges they will encounter in China,” he told Sinar Harian.
Malaysia has been drawn against Germany, England and Korea in the Group Stages of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team will face Denmark and Spain in the Uber Cup. Frost happens to think that the draw is relatively comfortable and hopes to see the shuttlers do well in both competitions.
“The Thomas Cup draw seems to be a balanced one. We don’t think there will be a problem in claiming victory against Germany and England,” the 58-year old explained.
“Only Korea is seen as a tough challenge in the group stages. The same applies to the Uber Cup. I am confident that we will be able to overcome the likes of Denmark and Spain, solely based on the performances exhibited by our women’s team during the qualifiers.
“Irrespective of that, I want the entire national squad to put up a satisfying performance,” the Dutchman added.
As of now, Datuk Lee Chong Wei as well as men’s doubles pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong are the only ones that have been confirmed as Malaysia’s representatives. The remaining line-up will be finalized by BAM in due course.
Other posts by Lekshman Subramaniam
