KUALA LUMPUR: The Table Tennis Association of Malaysia (TTAM) are not aiming for the stars in next year’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games following the retirements of top players.
“Our top paddlers have retired and it will be tough to finish on the podium in Gold Coast. We are only aiming for the quarter-finals in any of the seven events contested at the games,” said TTAM secretary Chan Foong Keong on Saturday.
Former national men’s champion Shakirin Ibrahim has quit the national team while Ng Sock Khim, a double Sea Games silver medallist, has retired.
In the 2014 Glasgow edition, Malaysia won the women’s team silver medal.
“We will send our up-and-coming players to Gold Coast for exposure. We will name six paddlers for the challenge.
“The players will be sent to China for a training stint in March ahead of the Commonwealth Games,” Foong Keong added.
Meanwhile, the National Table Tennis Championships starts on Monday at the Tan Sri Hamzah Hall at Wisma OCM in KL.
A total of 15 teams have confirmed their participation for the men’s category while only 11 states have registered for the women’s event.