Fast forward to today: what unfolded at the Chengdu High-Tech Zone Sports Centre here has resulted in disappointment for at least one of these objectives.
On Saturday, Malaysia’s bid to end their 32-year Thomas Cup drought ended in tatters when they went down 1-3 to hosts China in the semi-finals.
The setback has raised questions about whether “Project 24” is capable of creating a formidable team that can be a world champion, as that was also one of its primary objectives.
While some may view making it to the Thomas Cup semi-finals for the first time in eight years as a positive outcome, it is undeniable that Malaysia would have been able to clinch the Thomas Cup with a squad boasting more top-notch shuttlers.
One of the current squad’s most obvious weaknesses is a lack of depth among its men’s singles players, as winning the Thomas Cup requires more than one player.
Academy Badminton Malaysia coaching director Rexy Mainaky has even said it will need more than professional men’s singles shuttler, Lee Zii Jia, to beat China in the last four.
Zii Jia lost to current world No 2, Shi Yu Qi, 19-21, 5-21.
Take China’s squad as an example: all of its men’s singles players – Yu Qi, Li Shi Feng and Lu Guang Zu – have equal strength while there is still a gap between Zii Jia and the other players fielded, such as Leong Jun Hao, Cheam June Wei and Justin Hoh.
Even more worrying is that Zii Jia is the only local shuttler with a top 10 world ranking while BAM’s current top player, Ng Tze Yong, who was absent due to a back injury, is ranked 18th, followed by Jun Hao (37th), June Wei (63rd) and Justin (233rd).
As such, the men’s singles players, especially those under BAM, need to buck up if they aim to win more titles and help the country win the Thomas Cup.
As for Zii Jia, the question remains whether he justified the “investment” made by BAM given that the national body needed to pay him every time he played here due to “image rights”.
The world No 10 won three games and lost two in the world’s most prestigious badminton team tournament here.
However, all three of the Kedahan shuttler’s victories came against lower-ranked players while he still failed to overcome higher-ranked players, including a straight-set loss to world No 1 from Denmark, Viktor Axelsen, 16-21, 22-24 in the last Group D match.
His form in Chengdu will surely raise some doubts about his ability to secure a gold medal in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, there is still room for improvement for the two doubles – Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani – following their show in the Thomas Cup 2024.
Although capable of fighting against the world’s top 10 pair, Aaron-Wooi Yik, ranked fifth, still need to be more consistent ahead of Paris 2024 while Sze Fei-Izzuddin must know how to deal with converting crucial points to win the match.
However, the team spirit was remarkable as they kept cheering loudly to inspire their teammates until the last drop of sweat on the court.
Though Zii Jia opted not to join the national team’s one-week training camp at Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara before the Thomas Cup, his commitment to his teammates here was commendable and praised by Rexy.
In fact, Rexy said the 26-year-old was the first to show up during the meeting session with psychologist Frederick Tan after the semi-finals tie last Saturday.
It came as no surprise that the national women’s team crashed out early again from the Uber Cup, but how some of the national players performed was disappointing.
While it is true that mental strength is required to perform well, where is the fighting spirit? Why did some players drop their heads and throw in their towels so quickly?
BAM needs to adopt a radical approach to improve the standard of the national women’s camp.
This should include a strategic long-term plan to enhance Malaysian women’s badminton, putting more effort into unearthing new talents nationwide, and nurturing them to reduce the gap between other world-class players.
Meanwhile, the hosts, China, unquestionably asserted their dominance in both the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2024.
China bagged their 11th Thomas Cup title by defeating Indonesia 3-1 and claimed their 16th Uber Cup title with a 3-0 victory over Indonesia too on Sunday.
If this year’s results are any indicator, China could conquer the 2024 Olympic Games as well. Other players, especially Malaysians, need to elevate their game to fend off the strong challenge.