M'sia To Have Five Shuttlers In 2016 Rio Olympics Games

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 (Bernama) -- For the first time ever, the national badminton team set to send a complete squad to the 2016 Rio Olympics after all five players in five different categories qualified to the Games. Based on the Race to Rio Rankings issued by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) through its website www.bwfbadminton.org Thursday, Lee Chong Wei came in the second place while men's doubles pair Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong finished in ninth position. Also made the cut is the country's top women's singles shuttler, Tee Jing Yi (ranked 18th); women's doubles pair Vivian Hoo Kah Mun/Woon Khe Wei (12th); and mixed doubles' pair Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying (8th). Based on the BWF rules, only the top 36 finishers in the singles event and also 16 pairs in the Race to Rio Rankings, qualified to the Games. Meanwhile, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Mohamad Norza Zakaria, when contacted, expressed proud over the squad's success in making it to the Rio Olympics based on their rankings. He also said that the BWF would issue the full list of players qualified to compete in the five categories in Rio on May 9. "The national shuttlers have proved their worth by qualifying to the Olympic Games. "Chong Wei and Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying are the best examples of athletes who have displayed outstanding performance and I hope they will have a chance of making it to the podium," he said. At the 2012 London Olympics Games, Malaysia did not have representative in the women’s doubles event after Chin Ee Hui-Wong Pei Tty, missed out on qualification process. -- BERNAMA