The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Chong Wei’s wedding break may see him struggle at HK Open
- Shuttlers will get their state-of-the-art excellence centre
- Australia dangle US$1mil in prize money for Premier bid
| Chong Wei’s wedding break may see him struggle at HK Open Posted: 06 Nov 2012 03:08 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will resume action in the Hong Kong Open badminton tournament in Kowloon from Nov 20-25 after his wedding, but the short break could cost him the title as several young guns are out for his blood. Top seed Chong Wei has been drawn in the same half as China's Du Pengyu (pic) in the last stop of the 12-leg Super Series Tour. The 24-year-old Pengyu had taken the Malaysian all the way in the final of the Denmark Open in Odense two weeks ago. He came within a whisker of winning before Chong Wei turned on the power to take the title. The duo will meet in the semi-finals if there are no upsets. In Chong Wei's quarter are Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand, Wang Zhengming of China, Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam and Taiwan's Hao Hsu-jen - all whom are capable of stretching the Malaysian. In Pengyu's quarter are Kenichi Tago of Japan, Chong Wei Feng of Malaysia and the fast fading Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia. Based on the China player's form in Denmark, he should make it to the semi-finals without any problems. In the lower half of the draw are second seed Chen Long of China, Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark, China's Chen Jin, Japan's Sho Sasaki and Malaysia's Liew Daren. Daren, fresh from his first senior international title at the French Open, is expected to meet Chen Long in the second round. It will be interesting to see how Daren measures up. A year ago, Daren bowed out tamely to Chen Long in the second round of the French Open. In the absence of the world's top four pairs, including all the Koreans, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong have been seeded No. 1 in the men's doubles but it will not be easy for them. If they do make it to the final, they are likely to meet China's second seeds and four-time world champions Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng. In the mixed doubles, third seeds Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying's first real challenge will probably be in the quarter-finals against Mohd Rijal-Debby Susanto of Indonesia. If they win, they will probably come against top seeds Xu Chen-Ma Jin of China in the semi-finals. Chong Wei is skipping next week's China Open because of his marriage to Wong Mew Choo on Nov 10-11. |
| Shuttlers will get their state-of-the-art excellence centre Posted: 06 Nov 2012 04:02 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: It's taken four years but the RM50mil state-of-the-art centre of excellence for badminton will finally be built at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara. Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the centre will not be just an exclusive home for elite athletes but also serve as a regional training hub for Asian countries. "The Prime Minister has given the green light for the centre to be built at the badminton players' existing training ground in Bukit Kiara. It will take massive renovation to transform the place into a state-of-the-art training hub," said Ahmad Shabery. "It will have the best facilities and attract other Asian countries to use it as their training base. It will generate additional income for BAM." This is the third proposed venue offered by the government to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to fulfil their dream of having their own training centre equipped with all latest facilities and research units. In 2008, the government earmarked land at Taman Maluri and a RM24mil budget, but it fell through. Last year, the government offered land at Awan Besar, off Kesas Highway, with a RM30mil budget but that turned out to be a flood-prone area. All the players currently train at Stadium Juara but use the gymnasium at Bukit Jalil. The seniors are housed at the Rakan Muda building adjacent to the training ground while the juniors are based in Bukit Jalil. Once the new centre comes up, all the shuttlers will stay under one roof – with all facilities within the vicinity. Ahmad Shabery expects the centre to be ready within two years although BAM are hoping that it will be completed sooner so that the players can concentrate on the 2016 Road to Rio programme. "It will take some time because we need to solve a few tricky and delicate issues. The premise is currently co-shared by netball and lawn bowls. We are in the process of negotiating with them," he said. "There's no doubt that the centre will be a symbol of pride for the country. Malaysians are passionate about badminton and it's time we had our own state-of-the-art training centre and academy." Ahmad Shabery later launched the Badminton Asia Confederation's (BAC) new website and headquarters. The BAC have moved to the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) Hall, which has a bigger compound, in Cheras. BAM president Datuk Seri Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, who was also present at the ceremony, hopes that work on the proposed centre can be expedited. "We want it built as fast as possible. We have waited for a long time. Due to the delay, our operating cost has ballooned from RM30mil to RM50mil. We have plans to make it a regional centre so we can generate income," Nadzmi said. Meanwhile, BAC president Katsuto Momii has promised to raise the profile of the sport in the Asian region in line with their tagline – "Serve and Beyond". He said members can look forward to more high-octane tournaments and competitions. The prize money for their biggest event – the Asian Badminton Championships – may well hit the million ringgit mark. |
| Australia dangle US$1mil in prize money for Premier bid Posted: 06 Nov 2012 03:08 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Badminton's new kids on the block, Australia, are courting the big time. P. Ganga Rao, a top administrator of the sport in Malaysia before moving Down Under, confirmed yesterday that the Aussies have made an official bid to host one of the five Premier Super Series events for the 2014-2017 season – dangling US$1mil in prize money to show they mean business. Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Denmark, Singapore and England are also bidding to host a Premier event which is limited to five legs. The World Badminton Federation (BWF) council will decide on the five legs next month. China, Indonesia, Denmark and England are certainties, leaving Australia, Singapore and Malaysia to battle it out for the remaining last slot. South Korea, who boosted the profile of the sport with a US$1.2mil Premier event last year, have backed out. Australia, if selected, will host the richest tournament in the calendar. The Melbourne-based Ganga, who had served as the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) honorary secretary and Badminton World Federation (BWF) chief operating officer before being ousted in 2010, is now a consultant with Badminton Australia. "We have put in a strong proposal. Australia can showcase the event in a big way as it has the expertise. After hosting the Australian Grand Prix Gold for four years, it is only natural for us to look at a bigger event," he said. As to challenge Australia posed to Malaysia, Ganga said: "I know Malaysia can be fantastic hosts and I want them to get in as well. It would be best if BWF allow more than five Premier events to be hosted." |
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