KUALA LUMPUR: Men's singles Ng Tze Yong is set to return to competitive action at the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) in Shah Alam on Feb 13-19.
Academy Badminton Malaysia coaching director Rexy Mainaky has provided assurance that Tze Yong is on track in his recovery from a back injury.
The world No. 14 suffered a muscle tear in his lower back during his first-round match at the Malaysia Open last week.
Following the injury, Tze Yong has skipped the ongoing India Open and will also be absent from the Indonesia Open (Jan 23-28) and Thailand Open (Jan 30-Feb 4).
Rexy is concerned that Tze Yong's absence from tournaments might impact his chances to secure a spot in the Paris Olympics
Tze Yong is ranked 13th in the Road to Paris rankings, two rungs below compatriot Lee Zii Jia.
To qualify for Paris, countries are allowed two representatives in each event, provided both are ranked in the top 16 by April 28.
Rexy has tailored a new competition schedule for Tze Yong, where he will play in a few tournaments in Europe to collect Olympic ranking points.
"He will play in four tournaments in Europe and one in Asia upon his return from injury," said Rexy.
"His coach, Hendrawan, will select the tournaments for him."
Rexy disclosed that Tze Yong is making encouraging progress in his recovery.
"He is making progress, but the medical team is taking things slow and will push him to play only when he is 100 per cent recovered," he added.