KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to focus on quality rather than quantity, Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) has released 14 players from the national squad.
ABM made the announcement at their headquarters in Bukit Kiara today.
While S. Kisona and Low Hang Yee tendered their resignations, 12 others were dropped from the national setup following an evaluation process.
According to ABM chief executive officer Michelle Chai, the move was part of a process to prepare the players for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as well as two more Olympic cycles.
"We want to trim down the squad because to focus on quality rather than quantity. We also want to avoid keeping players and not sending them out to tournaments.
"As has been proven, a player's career is not over after they leave the national setup. It is important to have these two engines (national and professional setup) working," said Michelle at a press conference today.
Also present were ABM high performance director Dr Tim Jones, singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann and doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
"Qualifying for the Olympics alone is not enough. We need competitive players to fight for medals. We are not only focusing on the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, but also the 2028 (Los Angeles) and 2032 (Brisbane) editions," added Michelle.
Players axed were Lim Chong King, Ting Weng Xuan (men's singles), Myisha Khairul, Eoon Qi Xuan, Joanne Ng, Khor Jing Wen, Loh Zhi Wei (women's singles), Chang Yee Jun, Lwi Sheng Hao, Mohammad Faris Amrin, Fawwas Zainuddin, and Muhammad Zulhairi Sahimi (men's doubles).