Bite the bullet and raise your game. BA of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria wants his young shuttlers to step up or risk being left behind by rival nations.
Unimpressed by the senior squad's recent performance at the Thomas Cup in Denmark, Norza said improvements are needed across the board, both from a physical and mental aspect.
"We can't keep using the young age of our squad as an excuse because players from other countries are also young," said Norza.
"Young is good, but we need to fast track their development and reduce the gap between them and their rivals.
"Can they consistently beat top-5 and top-10 players? That is the question we need to address.
"To address this, it goes back to improving our endurance, increasing our mental and physical strength, quickening the recovery process through sports science and reducing non-badminton factors (social media during tournaments).
"We have to bite the bullet, there is no shortcuts to victory.
"I have told our players and officials that there is no time to rest. We have to focus on building.
"If we relax and let our guard down, we will be left behind as our competitors are doing well.
"We will recognise all of our players equally and give everyone the same opportunities.
"It (Thomas Cup) was, nevertheless, a good start, but we have to be bolder with our planning if we are to bring back the glory days of Malaysian badminton."
Although Norza was satisfied with Malaysia's quarter-final run at the Thomas Cup, he was unhappy with key players Lee Zii Jia and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who failed to deliver points when it mattered.
Malaysia lost 3-0 to eventual winners Indonesia in the last eight.
On a separate note, Norza, who is also the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president, said the umbrella body will evaluate whether it was necessary to secure a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine for athletes bound for next year's Vietnam Sea Games, Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Hangzhou Asian Games.
"We will write to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to determine whether we need to prioritise giving booster shots to our athletes," said Norza.
"Not all athletes will need it. We have to discuss this with the Health Ministry and the National Sports Institute."
Athletes who competed in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and other major tournaments this year were given early access to Covid-19 jabs to facilitate their preparations for the competitions.