KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s national junior badminton team has secured a favourable draw for the upcoming World Junior Mixed Team Championships, known as the Suhandinata Cup, which will be held in Nanchang, China, starting September 30.
During the draw held today in Nanchang, Malaysia were placed in Group C, alongside the Netherlands, Mongolia, Estonia and Norway.
This outcome is particularly relieving, given that Group A has been dubbed the “group of death” for this edition, featuring powerhouses like defending champions China, South Korea, Australia, Hong Kong and Ghana.
A total of 40 teams will participate, divided into eight groups.
Under the format set by the Badminton World Federation, only the winners of each group will advance to the knockout stage.
In last year’s edition in Spokane, Washington state, the national junior squad reached the semi-finals before being defeated 3-0 by China, securing a bronze medal.
This marked an improvement for the Malaysian team, especially after their group-stage exits in the previous two editions held in Santander in 2022 and Kazan in 2019.
The individual events of the World Junior Championships will follow from October 7 to 13, immediately after the mixed team competition concludes on October 5. – August 23, 2024