Kuala Lumpur: After Tan Boon Heong’s hugely controversial omission from the Commonwealth Games squad, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) deputy president Datuk Norza Zakaria explained the decision to leave Boon Heong off the roster was the right decision.
“We are can only send five men and five women to the Commonwealth games. From the Thomas Cup performance, Wee Kiong-V Shem are the best option for men’s doubles,” said Norza.
“This doesn’t mean Boon Heong is not good enough, if we can send six men to Commonwealth, we will definitely include Boon Heong,” added Norza.
When asked about why there was no selection trials conducted for the Commonwealth games squad, Norza said it was due to tight deadline.
“We have a lot of talented players in the team, but due to space limit, we were forced to make some sacrifices; also, the reason why we didn’t conduct the selection trial was because the application deadline was May 26, the same day our Thomas Cup squad returned from New Delhi.”
Boon Heong will partner V Shem in next week’s Japan Open. Boon Heong will have to step up in upcoming tournaments to regain the trust of the coaching staff.
