KUALA LUMPUR: "Qualify first, talk about medals later."
Former men's doubles ace Tan Boon Heong believes world No. 3 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men's doubles), Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles) and Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women's doubles) will qualify for next year's Paris Olympics.
However, the biggest question is whether they will be good enough to win Olympic medals.
"The Olympics are an open affair, and they should all qualify. We can talk about medals later," said Boon Heong after the inaugural Tan Boon Heong Badminton Academy Championships in Kepong today.
"These pairs are doing okay.
"Take Aaron-Wooi Yik, for example. Although they lost all their matches at the recent World Tour Finals, they fought hard.
"Tang Jie-Ee Wei also did well in Hangzhou. They have yet to reach their best, but there is progress.
"Beating Japan's Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino is an achievement."
However, Boon Heong said mental toughness will be a key factor in Paris.
"Mental toughness is developed from tough regimented training.
"When you train hard, it will show in your game.
"(Coach) Rexy Mainaky was tough on us back then. We had to wake up really early, and there was also healthy competition among all the pairs."
Meanwhile, Boon Heong was surprised by the overwhelming response of 650 shuttlers signing up for the TBH Academy Championships, including players from China, Australia, and Thailand.
The 36-year-old thanked his sponsors for their support and wishes to continue working together as he looks to attract more players and clubs next year.
The TBH Academy Championships had separate categories for Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and a category for those with a combined age of 70.