Badminton woes, who’s accountable?

I Fthe Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) is a public-listed company, would Malaysian badminton’s lacklustre showing in four major events this year – after years of underperformance – coupled with the organisation’s proposed remedial actions prompt shareholders to buy more BAM shares, sell BAM shares immediately or continue holding BAM shares and hope for the best?

Before making a judgment call, several facts should be considered.

Fact One: the Commonwealth Games in April, Thomas Cup in May, World Championships in late July and the Asian Games that ended last Sunday underscore Malaysian badminton’s downward slide.

Despite the lack of strong competitors in badminton in the Commonwealth Games, this country’s medal haul in this sport was literally third-rate. Malaysia won fewer medals than India – for the first time, it was the top performer in badminton – and England.

At the Thomas Cup, Malaysia’s performance was disappointing. Although the target was the semi-finals, even this modest goal was unattainable: Malaysia exited at the quarter-finals.

At the World Championships in Nanjing, China, all BAM players failed to win a single medal; independent player Liew Darren’s bronze provided the only crumb of comfort.

At the Asian Games, Malaysian badminton hit a new low. Instead of achieving the twomedal target, the team and all individual players returned home empty-handed.

Fact Two: top players from India and Japan – usually lower ranked than those from this country – have defeated decisively their Malaysian counterparts.

At the Commonwealth Games, India’s Kidambi Srikanth beat Datuk Lee Chong Wei for the first time. Instead of the expected tough fight, the Hindustan Times described Srikanth’s 43-minute two-set victory as a “cakewalk”.

In the Thomas Cup, Japan was a finalist. Equally significant, at this event, China’s twotime world champion Chen Long lost to Japan’s 12th ranked 23-year-old Kento Momota.

Furthermore, at the World Championships, Momota beat All-England champion Shi Yuqi of China to become Japan’s first world champion while the Land of the Rising Sun also won the women’s doubles, relegating badminton powerhouse China to just two victories – men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Momota’s rise as world champion is stunning; he suffered a 15-month suspension in 2016 for visiting an illegal casino and returned to international competition only in July 2017.

Some may argue the absence of top player Chong Wei contributed to Malaysia’s lacklustre performance at the Asian Games. This argument is a non-starter. A single individual cannot disguise Malaysian badminton’s diminishing status.

Fact Three: Indonesia’s success in the Asian Games spotlights BAM’s overdependence on Chong Wei and its wilful failure to groom a replacement.

The Asian Games showcased the rise of Indonesia’s two young players. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, 21 years old, stunned world champion Kento Momota and extinguished China’s medal hopes by defeating, in straight sets, All-England champion Shi Yuqi.

Additionally, Indonesia’s 20-year-old Jonatan Christie, ranked world No. 15, beat Taipei’s Chou Tienchen and world No. 6 to win the Asian Games gold medal.

What is BAM’s answer to these players in their early 20s – Ginting, Christie and Momota?

Fact Four: BAM says it will investigate a claim by former doubles player Tan Boon Heong that one national doubles coach lacks commitment, a stance echoed by BAM secretary and chairman of its coaching and training Datuk Ng Chin Chai.

While coaches lacking commitment may be a contributory factor, is this the overriding factor behind Malaysian players’ increasingly woeful performance?

If an organisation is performing poorly, should the appropriate response be to sanction – and possibly sack – the head of human resource? Shouldn’t responsibility for its ignominious decline start from the top?

Fact Four: Journalists have noted some Malaysians and foreign coaches who enjoyed minimal success in this country but achieved singular success overseas. Why did South Korea’s Park Joo Bong, a former Olympic and world doubles champion, under-achieve as a coach in Malaysia but enjoyed stunning success in Japan?

Is it because coaches in Malaysia are bedevilled by “interference” while enjoying total dominance overseas?

Two Malaysian coaches have found success offshore. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Tan Kim Her coached India’s mixed doubles pair who beat Malaysia’s Rio Olympics silver medallists. After leaving BAM in 2017, Jeremy Gan nurtured Japan’s first mixed doubles champion in the 2018 All England.

Fact Five: Malaysia’s incentive system doesn’t encourage players to improve. Players are rewarded for winning tournaments but receive no tangible recognition for beating a higher-ranked player.

In the Asian Games, Malaysian doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi defeated Takeshi Kamura- Keigo Sonoda, silver medallists at the World Championship – a feat that should be recognised.

Is BAM stunting Malaysian players’ growth by allowing them to compete for far too long in easy-to-win minor tournaments? Only by playing against higher-ranked players in the Super Series will Malaysian badminton players improve.

Shouldn’t top honchos in BAM be held accountable for Malaysian badminton’s seemingly inexorable decline?

Opinions expressed in this article are the personal views of the writer and should not be attributed to any organisation she is connected with. She can be contacted at siokchoo@thesundaily.com