Ask your other half, Norza tells V Shem, Wee Kiong

By Fabian Peter - September 3, 2020 @ 8:02am

IT requires them to be "100 per cent faithful", and BAM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria has told them to go home and talk to their wives.

Asking for 100 per cent commitment from all the shuttlers in the Thomas Cup campaign, Norza is looking at independent players Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong in particular.

V Shem-Wee Kiong, the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallists, will have to make a decision soon, as they also have important family commitments.

V Shem became a father for the first time recently while Wee Kiong is expecting the arrival of his firstborn in October.

"I have to be frank. I spoke to V Shem, Wee Kiong and I understand their situation.

"I told them to go home and discuss it with their wives. I do not want them to be in a dilemma. We expect high level of commitment from them.

"In fact, I believe that by having a perfect mix of both national and independent players, we can put up a formidable squad for the Thomas Cup.

"That is why I made the decision to invite these players to train under one roof here (Academy Badminton Malaysia) since the MCO (Movement Control Order) was lifted.

"There shouldn't be a difference between independent players and national players.

"Yesterday (Tuesday), I got Wong Choong Hann (BAM coaching director) and Datuk Kenny Goh (BAM secretary general) to speak to the other two independent players, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, and they, too, have promised us their full commitment.

"This will push our national players like Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani to fight hard to earn their places in the team," Norza said yesterday after meeting the 27 players who will leave for Pulau Tioman today for a four-day motivational camp.

V Shem-Wee Kiong and Yew Sin-Ee Yi will not be part of the camp but by virtue of being the second and third highest ranked pairs in the country, they are expected to make the Thomas Cup squad along with national No 1 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.

Meanwhile, Norza urged all the players to focus fully on their preparation for the Thomas and Uber Cup and leave other matters related to the Covid-19 pandemic to the BAM and Badminton World Federation (BWF) management.

"Yes, we will have to manage risks as we will be travelling outside the country.

"Leave that to us. I do not want the players to worry about this.

"We are in close contact with BWF and our priority is the well being of our players.

"Right now, our priority is the Thomas and Uber Cup. We will mitigate the risks at these tournaments first before deciding on the other European tournaments in Denmark (Denmark Open and Denmark Masters in October)," added Norza.

The Malaysian men's team, set a semi-final target by BAM, have been drawn in Group A, with Indonesia, Netherlands and England in the Thomas Cup Finals in Aarhus, Denmark on Oct 3-11. The women's team are in Group B, with Indonesia, South Korea and Australia.

The last time Malaysia lifted the Thomas Cup was back in 1992 in Kuala Lumpur.