Malaysian badminton officials said yesterday China would skip next year’s Proton Malaysian Open Super Series tournament after pulling out of the Super Series Masters finals in Malaysia two weeks ago.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) general manager Kenny Goh said the China Badminton Association had informed them their players would not compete in next year’s season opening Super Series event scheduled for Jan. 6 to Jan. 11 in Malaysia.
“China informed us that their players were undergoing a three-month training stint at an army camp,” Goh told Bernama news agency. “I have also received information that apart from the Malaysian Open, the Chinese players would also skip the Korean Open, which is the second Super Series event, scheduled from Jan. 13 to Jan. 18, just two days after the tournament here.”
PHOTO: AFP
On Dec. 12, China Badminton Association secretary-general Liu Fengyan said the country’s team would not be in the season-ending Super Series Masters finals, citing “a hectic calendar, risk of aggravating injuries and an upcoming three-month training camp.”
The US$500,000 tournament was played without Olympic men’s singles champion Lin Dan, men’s doubles silver medalists Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng and women’s doubles gold medallists Du Jing and Yu Yang. Malaysian players swept three titles — the men’s singles, doubles and women’s doubles — and are preparing for the next two tournaments, Goh told Bernama.
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