KUALA LUMPUR – Once again, the badminton world finds itself in a unique position as the biennial Thomas and Uber Cup Finals coincide with the Olympic Games this year.
As badminton is an Olympic sport, top players worldwide are gearing up to peak at the right moment to secure glory for their countries at the quadrennial multi-sporting event.
This year’s Thomas and Uber Cup Finals – known as the world’s most prestigious badminton events – will commence tomorrow and will run until May 5 in Chengdu, China, ahead of the Paris Olympics in late July.
However, this raises the question: Is it appropriate for players to skip the premier team competitions to prepare for the Olympics?
No benefit to skip
Speaking to Scoop, Olympian and two-time Thomas Cupper Roslin Hashim emphasised that skipping these tournaments would not benefit any player, as they should be integral parts of their preparations for Paris.
This sentiment is particularly relevant since it was known well in advance that this year’s finals would coincide with an Olympic year.
“It is already on the calendar ahead of time. We understand that the Olympics is a huge sporting event and we are waiting for our first gold medal.
“But the players who will participate in the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals will be the best that each country has.
“Teams like China and Indonesia will surely field their best players, so our players will have an opportunity to play the best that each country has to offer.
“So for me, players and coaches need to factor the Thomas and Uber Cups into their preparations for the Olympics.
“They are losing out on the opportunity of going up against top players (if they skip) the tournaments,” said the former world number one men’s singles player when contacted.
Up to the coaches
However, Datuk Seri Jalani Sidek, a member of the 1992 Thomas Cup winning squad who later won a bronze medal for the country at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, holds a different opinion.
He believes that it is ultimately up to the coaches to decide how to prepare the players.
Nonetheless, he personally advocates for participating in the team competitions.
“There is still time until the Olympics rolls around, and now we have the Thomas and Uber Cup finals. After that, there are the Malaysia Masters and a few other tournaments before Paris.
“Players need to know what they want, no coach is going to stop a player from taking part if they insist on doing so,” Jalani asserted.
“Even if they know that the team cannot win, they should do everything to win their matches.
“You cannot diminish the spirit of a fighter, and players need to know what they are fighting for or else the criticism of fans online saying players are only focussed on rewards would be warranted,” said Jalani. – April 26, 2024