Kuala Lumpur: The 2016 Olympic Games are scheduled to begin on August 5, while there are global concerns over whether Rio de Janeiro is ready for the Olympics, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) acting president Tan Sri Mohamad Al Amin Abdul Majid has confirmed that the Malaysian shuttlers are all set to play at next month’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
“Our Technical Director – Morten Frost has reported that the shuttlers are prepared. There are no injuries, and things are ready after long road of preparation,” said Abdul Majid.
“The team will depart for Rio on July 29th. Of course, we would like to see Lee Chong Wei in the Olympic finals. However, we are still waiting for the Olympic Games draw to be released next week,” added Abdul Majid.
The official draw for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games will take place on July 26.
Abdul Majid also acknowledged Malaysia’s World No. 10 mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying who are ranked No. 8 in Olympic ranking would be the country’s second best bet in Rio.
When talked about difficulties in securing additional accreditation cards for the badminton team in Olympics, he said the problem has been resolved.
“We were able to secure five accreditation cards, four for the coaches and one for the physiotherapist. There will be two sparring partners, and they will get daily passes.”
Malaysia’s women’s doubles coach Wong Pei Tty was left out of the squad due to limited accreditation card. Malaysia’s men’s singles player Iskandar Zulkarnain and mixed doubles player Tan Kian Meng will join the team as sparring partners.
Total of 8 Malaysian shuttlers will be playing in Rio, including Lee Chong Wei (men’s singles), Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong (men’s doubles), Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying (mixed doubles) Tee Jing Yi (women’s singles), and Vivian Hoo/Woon Khe Wei (women’s doubles).
