Source:REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
[Saba Sports News] The first event of the new season is a high-level Super 1000 tournament, which is too much pressure for top players. To address this, Malaysian men’s doubles player Aaron Chia Teng Fong suggested postponing high-level events or scheduling lower-tier tournaments first in the new season as a transition.
Chia and his partner Soh Wooi Yik recently finished the BWF World Tour Finals held in Hangzhou, China, and upon returning to Malaysia, they immediately had to dive back into training to prepare for the prestigious Malaysian Open taking place at home. After a training session at the Axiata Arena yesterday, when asked by the media if his body could handle it, Chia humorously replied, “Yes, my body is still young.”
Chia then began to express his concerns to reporters, stating that the scheduling of the Malaysian Open is a bit too early because the top players are required to participate. They just finished the Finals in mid-December and only have about two weeks of breathing space in between. He hopes that the BWF can adjust the schedule, moving the Malaysian Open to late January or the first week of February, and at the very least, not hold a Super 1000 event as the first tournament of the new season.
I strongly agree with Chia’s suggestion. For top badminton players, having to compete in 18 to 20 tournaments a year, with only two weeks of rest before starting high-intensity matches again, leaves them with severely inadequate time for preparation and physical recovery. This will inevitably reduce the quality of the competitions, which is not conducive to the long-term development of badminton.