Charting the Future of Malaysian Badminton - An Interview

Honorary Secretary of BAM & Chairman of the Coaching & Training Committee, Mr. Ng Chin Chai shares with us his story and his views on the future of Malaysian Badminton. 

by JY

JY : Tell us a bit about yourself and how did you start off in Badminton? Do you still play competitive badminton?

NCC: I am 47 years old, born, bred and educated in Seremban. Studied in King George V Primary & Secondary School and continued further education at University of Malaya. Presently practicing as a lawyer in Seremban. I started badminton when I was 10 years old, playing with neighbors in an empty plot of land with a net stringed across a coconut tree and a rambutan tree. Started formal training at 13 and played for NS State from 14 onwards, for around 18 years. Represented the country at junior level for 2 years. Nowadays I play socially about twice a week and still take part at club and state level competitions, mostly in the veteran category. However I had a knee and shoulder surgery during the last 1 year and hardly played during this period.         

JY : You're a Seremban boy and you travel daily to KL, why don't u move to the Klang Valley where which is closer to BAM HQ?

NCC: My family is in Seremban and my 3 children are schooling in Seremban. Moving around in Seremban for work, school, activities and leisure takes much shorter time compared to in Klang Valley. Residents in Seremban get better quality time. I travel to BAM office around 3 times a week and it’s not a hassle for me. It takes average of 1 hour journey and I can plan my timing to avoid peak hours’ traffic.

JY : How do you feel being appointed the honorary secretary of BAM & chairman of the coaching & training committee?

NCC: I was pleasantly surprised and deeply honoured when I was appointed firstly as the Honorary Secretary on 4 June 2010 and later as Chairman of the Coaching & Training Committee in 2 July 2010. I have a great passion for badminton, more so when for the honour of our beloved country. All my life I’ve been trying to contribute towards Malaysian’s badminton and when the opportunity came, I took up the appointment without hesitation as now I can be in the driver’s seat to steer the direction of Malaysian’s badminton towards a higher level.

JY : Misbun recently voiced out that, more emphasis should be given to training in BJSS if we were to produce world beaters. In our culture, where parents place education highly, do you think this will be a challenge? How does BAM expect to tackle this?

NCC : BJSS is run by Ministry of Education whose responsibility is education, with a greater emphasis on sports in BJSS. So far BAM have no problem with the balance of studies and training of our BJSS students, in fact we are churning out World and Asian junior champions from BJSS regularly. 

Badminton is one of the more popular sports in our country and fortunately a lot of parents are willing to allow their children to play the sports seriously, even to the extent of putting less emphasis on their children’s education or even giving it up. The challenge is for our government to put greater emphasis on sports by giving sports achievers advantage in getting places for higher education, scholarships, job opportunities etc. and this will encourage parents to push their children towards sporting excellence. On the part of BAM, we hope that BJSS will give badminton more places for potential players identified by us and for the government to give us more funding of our BJSS training programme.

JY : BAM has introduced a revamp of coaching & training policies in BAM, how is this different from previous policies and what results do we expect to see in the near future?

NCC : Previously the National Training Centre is made up of Singles and Doubles squads headed by a Singles Chief Coach and a Doubles Chief Coach. After the revamp there is 6 squads, i.e. Men Singles Elite Squad,  Men Doubles Elite Squad, Women Singles Squad,  Women Doubles Squad,  Men Singles Back-up Squad (consisting of players below 21 years) and Men Singles Back-up Squad (consisting of players below 21 years). There are now 6 Head Coaches for the 6 different squads and they are headed by a High Performance Director, whose job is administrative while the coaches job are technical and on the ground with the players. Previously the 2 Singles and Doubles Head coaches are pressured to achieve immediate results all the time and tend to focus on the few senior men players to achieve these immediate results. With the formation of the Women and Back-up squads, they will now have a Head coach each to pay more attention on them and to make long term plans towards their development. The new structure will put emphasis on both short term targets and long terms targets. I personally hope that this structure will bring immediate success in 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics while the Back-up squad players will be groomed well to achieve success after 2012, i.e. at the following years’ World Championships, 2014 Asian Games and 2016 Olympics and so on.

JY : If u look at our backup players, it's worrying because at this point no-one seem to be performing consistently enough to show that they can take over the elite players, what is BAM doing to tackle this issue?

NCC : As I have said earlier, the new structure now gives the Back-up Squads greater emphasis. We have appointed coaches with great credentials i.e. Hendrawan as the Back-up Squad Singles’ coach and Tan Kim Her as the Back-up Squad Doubles’ coach to take charge of the Back-up Squad players. Both are knowledgeable, dedicated and disciplinarian and I believe they will be able to groom the Back-up Squad players well. BAM are increasing funding for the Back-up Squads where we are sending the Back-up Squad players out for more international tournaments next year. We are also paying them higher monthly allowance and better incentives for performing well at international tournaments. The structure is in place, it is now time to implement the plan and we hope to see success after 2012.

JY : Our players fall short in major championships and lack the consistency, why do you think so?

NCC : What you say is true. For the next 2 years, we are making careful periodization plans for Lee Chong Wei and Koo Kean Keat/Tan Boon Heong to peak at 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics. They will participate is less tournaments and focus on major events only. Actually Chong Wei is quite consistent recently but with age catching up, he is succumbing to some minor injuries which is affecting his performance in some tournaments. However I readily admit that Lin Dan is superior to Chong Wei in terms of speed and power, therefore if both players play at their best, Lin Dan will come out top. As for the Men Doubles, there are about 6 pairs in the world that is equal and they can all beat each other. No pair is certain of victory at the moment. Notwithstanding the foregoing statement, BAM is committed to prepare the players technically, physically and mentally to achieve success at the major tournaments in the coming years.    

JY : What's your immediate goal in this position (BAM)?

NCC : Firstly to the strengthen BAM’s administration and finance and then to steer our national team to achieve success at Asian and World level tournaments. I am targeting  Malaysian badminton to win the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics.

JY : Aspirations for msian badminton or msian sports? 

NCC : I hope that there will be more people involved in sports especially badminton. Sports generate healthy body and mind; and brings people together transcending racial, religious and political barriers. Sporting success is a numbers game; more people playing, more frequent playing and more events participation will definitely bring more success internationally for any sports. Therefore I hope that the 1 sports 1 student policy will be implemented seriously and will be carried forward to our society at large by having more venues, facilities and benefits for greater participation in sports.        

JY : You're a lawyer by profession, how do you juggle between your day job and your commitments in BAM?

NCC : To me it is priority and sacrifice. No matter how much I love badminton, my family comes first, then my profession and then badminton. Due to my deep involvement with badminton, I know that I have to sacrifice by working longer hours compared to other people. I go to my Seremban law firm office early in the morning, and then about 3 times a week at mid morning I go to BAM’s office in KL. Other than that I also have to travel to different places for BAM related meetings and events. Since I took up the position in BAM, I’ve employed 3 additional staff in my office to ensure that that the quality and service of my law firm’s work do not suffer. I am also thankful to technology such as internet and mobile communication which have enabled me to multi-task, spend less time to produce more work, and to communicate on the move to juggle family, work and badminton.         

JY : Do you think children today are encouraged to take up sports as much as they are encouraged to do well in academics? what's your advise to parents and children who are contemplating taking up badminton as a career?

NCC : Definitely not! Save for the elite few, generally it does not pay well (financially) to take up sports compared to academics. Chances of aspiring students to earn a living from sporting achievements are slim compared to earning a living from their academic achievements. Chances of success is higher in academics than in sports e.g. thousands of students scoring full As in the public examinations as compared to only a few hundred national champions in all sports competitions of MSSM.

However nowadays taking up badminton as a career is worthwhile. Presently a national badminton player can earn anything from RM2,000.00 to RM200,000 a month from just playing badminton. However the playing lifespan is short, from 5-10 years only. However when most badminton players stop playing, they go on to be involved with badminton related works, such as coaching, managing badminton halls/clubs, doing badminton equipments business, sports equipments sales, administration of sports etc. And a lot of them are earning a comfortable living. 

For parents who believe that their children have the talent in badminton, it is worthwhile to guide their children towards a career in badminton. Sporting achievement is very gratifying and is much harder to achieve than academic achievement. For sportsmen who are at the cross-road and don’t know whether to choose sports or education, be advised that studies can wait but sports cannot wait. You can try to pursue sports first and education later.

JY : Any last words? 

NCC : I believe that giving is more satisfying than receiving. People should give and share more and the society will be a much better place to live in.

Thank you!

Ho Ho Ho! ...

Future of Malaysian Badminton ?

“We can even bring in Lin Dan’s coach but he too will not be able to do anything about it.” Chong Wei sums it best when referring to the backup shuttlers after his win at the Perak Open 2010. Even Hafiz Hashim shares the same sentiment when asked about the backup shuttlers' performances; “I hope all of them will catch up next year and give us a better fight in the local tournaments. They must put pressure on the seniors. It just felt like a training match to me.”


Alarming comments indeed from the country top 2 single shuttlers. One would wonder if countries like Japan or the likes of Hong Kong , Taiwan or even Vietnam would overtake us in badminton in the near future. Already we've seen some promising youngsters in the circuit from these countries. 


Let's hope not and hopefully BAM will nick this in the behind very soon. 

under pressure to deliver

Celebrating Malaysian Heroes - An interview with Loo Kum Zee

Malaysian for Sports managed to catch up with Loo Kum Zee , former Malaysian high jumper and till today remains the only Malaysian who have won a medal in high jump at the Asian Games. Hear what he has to say about his experience as a high jumper and also his thoughts on Malaysian athletics. His answers will BLOW your mind away ! JY has the scoop.

JY    : What got you started in high jump? 

LKZ : Actually, I started high jump quite coincidently during my school days when I discovered that I can actually win in the event at school level; that spurred my attention & interest to go further to test my abilities.

JY    : Who or What was your inspiration? 

LKZ : If we were to start from the beginning of my career which started in school, it was an accident as I said before; nevertheless, my inspirations were the urge to win in every competition I competed. That eventually made me feel good all the time in the eyes of everybody.

2002 Asian Championships

JY    :  The Malaysian athletics did not do well in the last Asian Games, why do you think so?

LKZ :  Rotten & Spoilt ! That's what I have observed through the years. The word ROTTEN is for the NSA & Officials/Coaches & SPOILT is for the athletes. However, during my days, such was also the scenario, especially after the setting up of Bukit Jalil etc. Why? Talent & development are too intense & concentrated, that they tend to provide the best to the youngster from day one without first analysing the full talent & what they can deliver. Thus in return we have athletes having the impressions that they are the greatest & untouchable ones. That's how it begins. 

Unlike my time as a junior some 20 years ago, we had to fight for our place to survive as an athlete. Compare to now, everything is provided for, but young athletes never appreciate but keep asking for more! And this is in contrary of the spirit of sport.

For the ROTTEN NSA & officials/coaches, congratulation to them that they were able to stay this long (some of them >30 years) in the scene where old thoughts & stone age philosophy still persist by not willing to accept changes, avoiding threat (rather than to face it, rectify it, adapt to it, making changes for the good of all).

JY    : Can you give us an example ? 

LKZ : Just give you a scenario, this morning, I attended the 1 Malaysia Run in Ipoh & to my surprise, the organizing committees were the Local Association & from there, I met all the 'OLD but unwilling to leave' guys still running the show. You know, as usual, they seemed to be friendly but in their hearts, I can feel their off-side of their thinking........like........Oops, lucky this guy is not in the working team nor the Association, otherwise, we would have a tough time! This actually was why I do not have a chance to be involved in athletics since my retirement in state or national level.

JY    : You're the winner of 5 SEA games gold medal, 1 Asian games bronze medal and also qualified for the   1996 Olympics. What's your most memorable time in athletics? 

LKZ : Winning in a major event, of course (as you mentioned). That was the moment of pride for me though. But the 2 proudest thing I want to reminiscent were that I managed to keep the flag flying and continuing the tradition of high jump gold in SEA Games for 5 times after Low Cwee Peng & since the year 1971 (but unfortunately, we lost the golden tradition with Hup Wei in 2005 SEA Games; which really upset me) & the only High Jumper who won a medal in Asian Games till today. I have nevertheless, 5 Bronzes for the Asian Track & Field Championship (ATF) in my pocket for year 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002 & 2003!

JY    : What have you been up to since retirement? 

LKZ : Since retirement, I had thoughts, many thoughts not to report back to my employer (Maybank) as I still fancied life being involved in sport (as a coach) because I am able to travel, enjoy life to the fullest (like all those corrupted ass), get paid for nothing (as there is no more athlete thus, training was not required), continue to enjoy all my sponsorship, having all my friends around that could make me feel superior on all times etc.[spoken in sarcasm] 

Nonetheless, chances faded away due to my outspoken attitude as what I reckoned was their fear that I am a pure 'Opposition' fellow who would oppress them. Time & time again my offers were turn down (from MSN) without my knowledge (done by someone who was powerful enough to convince the NSA & to convince MSN) that I had no interest at all in sport. Actually, at the time I learnt about it, it really pissed me off & finally after 1 1/2 years of trying & offering (by MSN) that had gone unsuccessfully, I decided to stay a calm life, concentrate on my work with my employer & try to enjoy life as a 'commoner'

JY    : Based on your observation, there’re reasons to be concerned. What’s your outlook for Malaysian athletics in the future? 

LKZ : Rome was not build in 10 years.....as Dr Mahathir had said, changes cannot be realized overnight; the same I have for Malaysian Athletics. It is the truth & no one is able to deny the fact. Changes need a lot of courage & support (from all sectors), motivation is lacking & therefore, sad to say, the outlook is basically 'NIL' for me!

JY :    Wow! Nil! For those who still aspire and harbour ambitions to represent the country in the future, any advice for them? 

LKZ : Advice? ok........if you do not achieve what you have targeted for in 5 years time, quit & do not waste time as athletics will not guarantee you a future nor a decent job, not to mention, a good way to survive! Why I say so, just look at where most of the successful athletes now (apart from those like Dr Jega etc)........they simply vanished in society & have you ever wonder how do they manage to survive?

JY    : Athletes nowadays can be spoiled when it comes down to training ; they prefer to train at the comfort of their home (Malaysia) . Do you think training in overseas produce better results? 

LKZ : Training overseas is very beneficial, but athletes who wants to excel have to really learn to become a ROBOT in order to achieve that & I would suggest that NSA to adopt 'orphans' from young & send them for a 10 to 15 years training programme cum competition overseas by not coming home but only for important competition with Malaysian flag on.

JY    : In your opinion, what's the most important element to succeed in sports? 

LKZ : Still the 3Ds Dato Khalid (our former MAAU President) mentioned; Discipline, Determination & Dedication. I have been practising it & it proved to be working well !

JY    : Do you think Asian athletes are inferior to westerner or those from the Caribbean islands in terms of genetics?And does it make a difference in terms of performance/results, how so? 

LKZ : For me, humans are the same. It's just a matter of the mind.  

JY    :  Last words? =) 

LKZ : Thank you for the chance to express my feeling here towards my beloved sport in particularly. I would like to also express my gratitude towards my employer, Maybank for supporting me through thick & thin by providing me a satisfactory job that I can manage to capitalized on in to improve my quality of life. But for athletes, still the same words, set your target/time frame for achievement & if you do not make it, leave it as tomorrow will be a better day if we work similarly hard.

Pity the Fool !

Sigh! Where do I begin? Another so-called sports official making ridiculous and ludicrous remarks again. This time it's on a local produced sports talk television show. This person from FAM was interviewed about Malaysian football and their performance in the ongoing AFF Suzuki Cup. I could see in his face that after the win over Vietnam a few days ago in the National Stadium, he was buzzing with pride & joy. Like him, the rest of the nation was proud of the Malaysian boys for getting this far. Then came the remarks which got me choking on my dinner. Here's the 3 things he mentioned when quizzed about the future of Malaysian football : -

1. Malaysia will be a powerhouse in football not just in South East Asia but also in ASIA in 2 years. Mind you, the last time I checked , countries like Australia, Japan, Korea and the middle-eastern countries are still part of Asia and some of these teams have played on the largest platform - The World Cup. Not to be nay-sayer but to achieve such feat requires proper development channels and a strong league NOW especially if you want to achieve this in 2 years. 

2. FAM will consider those players playing abroad (i.e. Titus, Brendan Gan,etc) in team selection. But final say will depend on the coach eventhough these players are playing for top clubs in Europe. Err...I do agree that the coach will have the final say but surely if they're good enough to play for top clubs outside Msia, they should be given serious consideration if not an automatic place in the squad? 

3. This official boldly said that one of the players in the national squad at this moment is good enough to play for ANY clubs in Europe. For me , this one definitely bring back the bacon ! 

It's just a pity that sometimes in Malaysian sports, the players are trying their hardest on the pitch but these so-called officials make them look bad or stupid. 

For the sake of sports in the nation, "officials" please think before you speak especially when you know everyone will be watching you or reading it from the media the next day. Do us a favour & stop making a fool out of Malaysian Sports!

THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE – SPORTS

“This rugby is a political calculation...no, it’s a Human calculation” this was what Nelson Mandela said when he architected South Africa’s famous victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The infamous victory sparked by Mandela’s vision proved everyone wrong, when no one gave them a chance. “According to the experts, we'll reach the quarter-finals, and no further...According to the experts, you and I should still be in jail!” Mandela, replied. Not only did South Africa beat all odds to win the rugby world cup but more importantly unite the nation which has been beleaguered by the apartheid system.

Dato’ Razali Ibrahim, the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports speaking at the official opening of the Muar Malay Badminton Championship 2009 called on Malaysians to emphasize more on sports development so that it could help to foster better unity ties among the people because sports in every level has been able to bring Malaysians together throughout history.  

“There was no racial borders in sports where different races joined hands to form teams to compete” he said. This holds true when we recently experienced the Thomas & Uber Cup 2010 held in Kuala Lumpur. Waves of Malaysians, irrespective of race and colour wrapped in Jalur Gemilang throng the Putra stadium with one purpose – to support the Malaysian team.  

Sports is a universal language spoken by almost everyone in the world. Regardless of what language you grew up speaking, the World Cup or the Olympics resonates immediately to anyone in any part of the world. Sports speaks all languages. Whether you’re walking through the streets of Africa , China or Paris, the direction to the stadium is a simple hand gesture away.

Sports teaches us important and fundamental life skills. Sports is not merely just a physical activity whereby you have a good sweat but also a tool to shape our lives. Values like teamwork, sportsmanship, and responsibility are the essence to everyday lives just like sports.

One thing that sports does so well over and over again is to unite divided nations. War torn nations like Iraq and South Africa have proved to the world that despite their problems at home, they’re able to unite as a team and nation. Iraq won the football Asian Cup in 2007 and South Africa the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

The beauty of sports is its tendency to bring out the best in everyone and spring unexpected result. Just ask the likes of North Korea who played their first World Cup in 44 years last June or the Korean team who demolished the mighty great wall of China in the recent concluded Uber Cup. The list is endless.

On a closing note, schools are the best way to instil sports amongst the young. It’s sad to see many school fields being replaced by new school blocks or computer labs today. The recent announcement by the Deputy Prime Minster, Tan Sri Muhyiddin to put emphasize on sports in school is a welcome and long overdue news. The 1 Student 1 Sport program will hopefully help students and parents see the importance of an all round education system. The challenge now is creating the awareness. 

The X-Factor

First it was Chris Houghton , now and more surprisingly Big Sam. Perhaps, it's not so surprisingly after all  looking at events that have taken place in football over the last few years. Football can be a cruel and vicious game. I guess, if you were to lay off a manager, this would be the best time considering the January transfer window is near and transfer funds will be better off with the new managers.

X Factor

The question now is who's next? Who's leading the pack to be the next manager on the chopping block? Here are your contenders. My pick - Roberto Martinez. If results do not improve for Chelsea, I'll go with Ancellotti.