BE calm and brave the storm. That was BAM coaching director Wong Choong Hann’s call to the shuttlers as the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup became the latest casualties of the coronavirus.
Former World No 1 Choong Hann said there is just no point in worrying even when the Covid-19 pandemic wreaks havoc around the globe.
The coaching chief made known his standpoint after the Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced on Friday
they would not be able to have the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in Aarhus, Denmark on May 16-24.
The prestigious world team competitions have been postponed to Aug 15-23 in Aarhus instead.
This means the Malaysian shuttlers won’t be able to assess their opponents’ strength in the Thomas Cup before the Tokyo Olympics.
BWF have also called off all Olympic qualifying events on the World Tour calendar.
When contacted by Timesport yesterday, Choong Hann said: “It is a concern, yes, but there is really no point in worrying. It’s not going to get us anywhere.
“It's a global issue and when compared to the rest out there, we don't have it that bad.
“We have to look at the bigger picture.
“People are worried about their jobs, about putting food on the table.
“People are dying. Not being able to play in tournaments is nothing compared to this.”
Choong Hann said the national players have been briefed on the new training programme, as everyone is still under self quarantine, be it at home or at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
“All our players have tested negative for the virus, but some of them who live outside of Kuala Lumpur have opted to remain at the academy.
“We have drafted a new training programme for the players to train and stay fit remotely.
“Hopefully, we will be able to get back to training on court after the Movement Control Order.
“Having said that, the main priority is everybody's health. We need to stay healthy and remain confident.
“We have to believe that we have done enough. We have played in enough tournaments to have data on how we are doing,” he said.