KUALA LUMPUR – The 20-player interim list currently displayed on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) app is not Malaysia’s final squad for the upcoming Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China.
Speaking to Scoop today, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) head of administration Michelle Chai clarified that the national body has yet to send official confirmation letters to the independent players regarding their selection for the world mixed team championship, scheduled from April 27 to May 4.
In fact, Birmingham Commonwealth Games silver medallist Ng Tze Yong remains very much in contention for a place in the final squad.
“No, nothing is confirmed — otherwise, we would have already made an official announcement across all our platforms,” said Michelle.
“The final selection involves several stages, starting with us sending invitations to independent players, stating our intention to consider them for the Sudirman Cup.
“Once we receive their responses, the coaches will assess the players. In this case, the coaches want to wait and see how everyone performs at the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) this week in Ningbo. After all, the deadline is only on April 14.
“I’m not entirely sure why a provisional long list was made public, but it’s certainly not the confirmed Malaysian squad,” she added.
It is understood that BAM has reached out to six independent players, with five confirming their interest.
Unfortunately, world number eight men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia will not be part of the team as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained at the World Tour Finals in December last year.
The Kedah-born shuttler has also been granted a protected ranking by the BWF, effectively ruling him out for at least three months.
The other independent players being considered are world number two men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, world number three mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai, as well as women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei. — April 6, 2025