Land of Smiles will offer doubles ace Aaron peace of mind.
Aaron’s all for Asian legs of World Tour to be held in Thailand
National top men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Chia declared that he would be able to compete with peace of mind if the proposed three Asian legs of the World Tour are held in Thailand in November.
The 23-year-old believes the meets would attract huge participation from top players despite the escalation of Covid-19 cases worldwide. It should also generate the same excitement he last enjoyed at the AllEngland in March.
“I personally think that there should be no problem for Thailand to hold these Asian legs as the Covid19 situation is well controlled there,” said Aaron, after yesterday’s training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia.
“I have the confidence competing there, it’s quite safe, as compared to Denmark where there are hundreds of new cases daily.
“Besides, the Europeans’ attitude towards the virus is very different from the Asians.
“They are probably taking things more lightly there, but that’s definitely not the case for us.”
Aaron was seen having a lengthy conversation with several coaches which included coaching director Wong Choong Hann and men’s doubles head coach Flandi Limpele.
He then revealed that the coaches were seeking feedback from players on their willingness to participate in Thailand.
Aaron also took the opportunity to learn more information about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) proposed by the Thai organisers, and he swiftly felt reassured.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) had last week withdrawn their participation in the Denmark Open from Oct 13-18 as a result of the postponement of the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Aarhus from Oct 3-11.
“I learned that the Thai organisers will house all the players and officials in a designated hotel where we stay, eat and train there, so that there will be absolutely no contact with outsiders,” said Aaron, who forms a world No. 9 partnership with Soh Wooi Yik.
“The hotel and competition venue is also near by, and the tournament will be held behind closed doors. This is what we, the players, have requested earlier but could not be fulfilled by the Danish organisers.
“So it was easy to understand why many players feel unsafe, prompting several teams to pull out.
“Had they reassured us with more convincing safety guidelines, I’m sure most of us would have agreed to participate.”
Aaron said with both Malaysia and Indonesia having declared their intention to compete in Thailand, other countries will follow suit.
“I certainly hope the Asian series will be able to gather a top-class field so that they will be as competitive as possible,” said Aaron.