NEWLY appointed national junior director Misbun Sidek will decide in the next two months if a coaching restructuring is necessary.
Today, BA of Malaysia president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria officially introduced Misbun to the national junior squad, who now share a roof with the national elite and back-up players at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
Previously, the juniors were under chief coach Kwan Yoke Meng.
According to Misbun, formerly the national men’s singles head coach, he will use the time to observe the existing set-up before making any decisions.
“I had to think long and hard before agreeing to take up this position because it covers a wide scope and is challenging.
“To move forward, I need to observe the existing structure. I will have to look into the players’ discipline, the training module, technical aspects as well as the coaches.
“I will use the next couple of months to do all these before making any decisions on a new structure,” said Misbun.
The 60-year-old said it is his personal mission to try and produce more world junior champions, especially after the country’s dry spell last year.
“Yes, I am aware that we did not produce any world junior champion last year, and this is one of my concerns when I agreed to take up this position.
“I have produced three world No 1s (Roslin Hashim, Wong Choong Hann and Lee Chong Wei), and it is my ambition to produce a fourth.
“Once a strong foundation is built at the junior level, we will be able to feed these players to the elite and back-up squads.”
Following Misbun’s promotion, Indonesian Hendrawan will resume the position of national men’s singles head coach and will be assisted by fellow countryman Indra Wijaya.
Meanwhile, Norza confirmed that BAM coaching director Choong Hann has been appointed as team manager for the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Manila on Feb 11-16.
BAM patron Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will meet the team Thursday at the Women’s Ministry.