OLYMPICS – Medical Check to Decide Malaysia’s Doubles ?

An upcoming medical check for all Malaysia men’s doubles players might be the key for the final lineup list that the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will send to the Badminton World Federation, as three pairs are in for only two spots in the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

By Raphael Sachetat. Photo : Badmintonphoto (archives)

Sometimes, the decision does not come from where it is expected. BAM might learn this at its own expense, as one of the pairs which was meant to be sent to the Olympics in August might be finally staying home and replaced by another one, if Lee Wan Wah’s condition does not get any better.

He and Choong Tan Fook had been one of Malaysia’s best bets for some months as one of the most reliable pairs in the circuit for some time, but Lee's shoulder injury, which prevented him from playing at full speed in the recent Thomas Cup, is now giving Malaysian decision-makers a headache. At one point in the Thomas Cup, Choong was fielded with Koo Kien Keat (photo).

“We decided first that all three pairs must now go for a physical and medical check-up. We have to look at their physical level to see whether they are ready to sustain the challenges of a competition. We do not want anyone to go there if they have any medical or physical issues,” said BAM president Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Salleh to the daily Newspaper The Star.

This means that along with Koo and Tan – who are almost certain to be sent with a good seeding position on their hands – the other pair to be sent to the Olympics could be Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif, who are further away in the world ranking, but who still qualified to be sent to Beijing. The choice now lies in the hands of the Malaysian association, which will rely on the upcoming medical check.

The BAM chief mentioned, however, that this medical check-up might not be the only thing that could lead them to make such a decision.

“It is not just the physical aspects but we also want to look at factors like their readiness, ranking positions and past performances. Any final decision will be guided by the recommendation of the coaches,” said Nadzmi.

BAM has until the end of the month to decide and send their final list to the BWF.

Badzine will update our readers shortly on the new list which has been widened thanks to the players who have qualified in more than one event.

BadZine