STRENGTH

“V Shem-Wee Kiong were exceptional last season with the silver medal from the Rio Olympics being their best result. They are rather inconsistent. They can sometimes beat the best in the world or exit the first round in tournaments.

“We have been helping them a lot to overcome their weaknesses and also in handling pressure. In the mixed doubles, our second pairing of Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing must take the opportunity to make inroads in the absence of Goh Liu Ying in the Sudirman Cup.

“They are playing good badminton but of course, they still need to improve as we need another good pair at the same level as Chan Peng Soon-Liu Ying,” he said.

Khairy also touched on the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games on Aug 19-30, where he hopes Malaysia can win as many events from the seven gold medals on offer.

“We will have the back-up players in the Sea Games as our top shuttlers will be at the World Championships in Glasgow. It is the same for other countries in this region as their top shuttlers will also be competing in the world meet.

“It is a good chance for our back-up team to shine and produce results in the Sea Games,” Khairy added.