KUALA LUMPUR: Former top national men’s doubles shuttler Tan Boon Heong is keeping his fingers crossed that at least two national men’s doubles pairs will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The 2010 World Championships silver medallist said that 2022 world champion Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and 2021 World Championships bronze medallist Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi stand a good chance of qualifying for the world’s biggest multi-sports Games based on their performances in several tournaments.
“I hope our first and second-ranked men’s doubles pairs qualify for the Olympics. If only one pair were to qualify, there will be no advantage for us.
“I know it won’t be easy for both our men’s doubles pairs to qualify but it is possible,” he said when met by reporters, here, today.
Based on the Olympic qualifying format, each country can be represented by a maximum of two doubles pairs, provided both pairs are ranked in the top eight of the 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers, which begin on May 1.
Based on the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranking, Aaron-Wooi Yik are in second spot while Yew Sin-Ee Yi are in eighth position in the world.
Earlier, Boon Heong launched the inaugural Tan Boon Heong Badminton Academy Championships at the Ace Sports World@Rooftop Lotus’s Kepong, with 50 shuttlers from around Kuala Lumpur taking part in the Under-13 tournament.
On the performance of the national men’s doubles pairs at the recent Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship (BAMTC) at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Boon Heong said they would have definitely learned their lessons.
“The national men’s doubles pairs are not bad although they didn’t reach the semi-finals as targeted. But I’m confident they will live up to their full potential in the coming tournaments, like the All England,” he said.
On Feb 18, Malaysia again failed to end their quarter-final jinx in the BAMTC after losing 3-2 to China. – BERNAMA
