KUALA LUMPUR: The BA of Malaysia (BAM) have no plans to send their senior shuttlers for this year's Sea Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said players like newly crowned All England men's singles champion Lee Zii Jia and top men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have been excluded from the biennial Games.
This is to allow them to focus on four major championships this year — Tokyo Olympics, Thomas and Uber Cups (Denmark), World Championship (Spain) and Sudirman Cup (China).
"We have forwarded a proposal to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to send a squad comprising junior players to Hanoi.
"I believe this move will motivate the players to represent the country at the Sea Games because most of the badminton greats hail from Southeast Asia," he said at a media conference after the Sea Games selection committee meeting at Wisma OCM here on Tuesday.
Malaysia won three gold medals in the 2019 edition in the Philippines through Zii Jia, Aaron-Wooi Yik and S. Kisona (women's singles).
He said the BAM were analysing other countries' squads that will be competing in Hanoi.
"What is important is that players must train wholeheartedly ahead of the challenge," he added. – BERNAMA