KUALA LUMPUR – In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has decided to host two training camps, one in Malaysia and one in the French capital, a week before the Summer Games begin.
BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said that all of this is to help the players get acclimated to the Parisian weather.
“We plan to have a training camp in Malaysia, and we are also expected to have one in Paris before the competition starts.
“We will be in Paris a week before the Games start, and five days before the badminton competition starts, we will move into the athletes’ village,” he said today when met after a BAM-National Sports Council working committee meeting.
Kenny added, “The national body is committed to giving the necessary support to players in pursuit of success in Paris.
The focus will be on providing the players with the right training and sports science support in preparation for the Games.
“I think it is really important for us to focus on the Olympics, as it is an important tournament.
“We spoke about how players should prepare, as badminton is a continuous sport. The qualifying period ends on April 30, but what happens from May 1 onwards?
“Right now is a critical time in the qualifying period to identify tournaments and get our players qualified. We want to improve their rankings so that they will get the best seedings.
“This will help them receive a favourable draw at the Olympics and will give them the best chance of progressing to the next round,” he said.
He also stated that for BAM’s management to make the right decisions, they need to receive feedback from the ground staff.
“Of course, it depends on the people on the ground, the coaches, and the sports science staff to do the necessary work, and after that, we will review it.
“We will see what needs to be improved or changed; this feedback needs to be relayed to us so we as the management can make the right decisions,” said Kenny. – December 13, 2023