KUALA LUMPUR: The BA of Malaysia (BAM) have beefed up their national junior squad with the addition of 53 new players aged between 13 and 17.
These players were part of the Talent Identification (TID) programme held in December last year, and in January, at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
The first batch of players, aged 13 and 14, reported for training at ABM on Monday, while another 20, aged 15-17, will join them next week.
BAM development committee chairman Datuk Ng Chin Chai said the players will be under probation for six months.
The short-term goal for these players would be to have them ready for events such as the Asian Junior Championships and World Junior Championships, while the long-term plan is to serve as a feeder programme to the national senior squad.
"We are happy to confirm that a total of 33 new junior players, aged 13 and 14, have joined us yesterday (Monday). These players were recommended by the State BAs and were part of the total 98 who attended our TID trial in December.
"Another 20 players (15-17) will be joining us next week. We had to break them up because together with the parents, there were just too many people. The first batch of players are undergoing quarantine, and the remaining 20 will join next week.
"I would like to share that the players were selected carefully. They had to meet very detailed sports science criteria that were carried out by Universiti Putra Malaysia's (UPM) sports science department.
"They were assessed on their physical ability, mental maturity and other aspects required to make good badminton players.
"We will monitor these players for the next six months, but usually, we will not drop them unless there are serious issues," said Chin Chai.
With the addition of these 53 players, the total number of national juniors at ABM is now 87.
The World Junior Championships will be held in Spain on Oct 17-30.