BAM taps on Sarawak sports psychologist in quest for Olympic gold
KUCHING: Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has reached out to sports psychologist Frederick Tan to help boost the training programme for the nation’s top shuttlers on the road to the Paris Olympic Games in July.
This is among the latest initiatives by BAM as Malaysia’s elite players embark on the final stretch of preparations for the 2024 Olympics.
Sarawak-born Tan has extensive experience as a mental coach for national and state athletes since 1990. The US-trained sports psychologist was among the pioneer sports scientists in the Sarawak Sports Council from 1990 to 1999 and the National Sports Institute from 2000 to 2010.
Among the highlights of his career was playing a key supporting role behind the three Olympic campaigns of badminton legend Lee Chong Wei at the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games. In later years, he served in top sports administrative positions in Sarawak and Penang where he was director of its state sports council for eight years.
Malaysia has been chasing the elusive Olympic gold medal since 1964. So far the nation has succeeded in only winning silver and bronze medals and in only the three sports of badminton, diving and cycling. National athletes with high potential for an Olympic medal are shortlisted under the Road to Gold (RTG) programme. However, only one diver – Sarawak’s Bertrand Rhodict Lises – has qualified for the Paris Games while top cyclist Mohd Azizulhasni Awang is only returning to form following a major heart operation in 2022.
Olympic medal prospects in badminton are Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles), Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles), Pearly Tan and M Thinaah (women’s doubles), and Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles). Last week, BAM coaching director Rexy Mainaky revealed the critical need to strengthen the mindset of shuttlers under the RTG.
The importance of psychological factors in finetuning their training, he told the media, was the reason behind BAM’s decision to seek the expertise and experience of the veteran sports psychologist.
Tan is currently partner in the Miri-based ECT Training specialising in mental performance since his retirement from public service. He will begin working with the RTG shuttlers from Feb 23. He told The Borneo Post there is limited time with the Olympics only 5 months away.
However, it helps that he will be staying at the Malaysian Badminton Academy complex at Bukit Kiara together with the national squad. The first task, he stressed, is to bond with the players and earn their trust so that mental skills can be imparted effectively.