KUALA LUMPUR: The World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, from Dec 13-17 will be the perfect testing ground for some of the world's best players and pairs ahead of next year's Paris Olympics.
Malaysia's top men's doubles player Soh Wooi Yik said the season-ending finale, cannot be compared to other World Tour events.
This is because the World Tour Finals is played in a league format similar to the Olympics while the standard knockout system is used in Open tournaments.
Only the top eight players and pairs, at the end of the 2023 World Tour season, will qualify for the World Tour Finals.
"To me, the World Tour Finals is the perfect testing ground before the Paris Olympics because of the similar format. The players will be in two groups and play each other before qualifying for the knockout rounds.
"This means it's not the end of the world if you lose a match. There is still a chance to make the knockout rounds," said Wooi Yik during the Federal Territories (FT) Sports Council incentives presentation ceremony today for its athletes who did well in the Phnom Penh Sea Games and Hangzhou Asian Games this year.
Currently ranked No. 5 on the Race to Finals rankings, Wooi Yik and partner Aaron Chia are almost certain of qualifying for the World Tour Finals, with just two more tournaments remaining — the Kumamoto Masters (Nov 14-19) and China Masters (Nov 21-26).
Wooi Yik said he and Aaron aim to perform better at this year's World Tour Finals, after failing to qualify for the knockout stages in their previous two outings (2020 and 2022).
Wooi Yik added that the incentive from the FT Sports Council, for winning bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games, will motivate him to do better, as the ultimate goal for him and Aaron is to win the coveted Olympic gold.
To date, their best achievements were winning hte world crown last year and bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Others who also received incentives from the FT Sports Council were Asian Games gold medallists Qabil Ambak Fathil (equestrian) and Ng Eain Yow (squash). Divers Nur Dhabitah Sabri (silver and bronze), Wendy Ng (silver), and sepak takraw players, Syahir Rosdi, Azlan Alias and Amirul Zazwan (silver) were also rewarded.
A total of RM164,600 was handed out by FT Sports Council: RM55,000 for athletes who finished on the podium at the Asiad and RM109,600 for those who did well at the Sea Games.