KL vows to sweep badminton golds

KL vows to sweep badminton golds

JAKARTA (JP): Host Malaysia is upbeat of turning badminton,
one of its favorite sports, into a gold mine of its own at the
Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, following its shuttlers' convincing
performances in several events.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) set an initial
target of only one gold medal due to the promise by major rival
Indonesia to parade its world-class players.

"The initial target was only one gold medal but we will ask
our shuttlers to fight it out to win as many gold medals as
possible," BAM's president Nadzmi Saleh said as quoted by Bernama
on Thursday.

"There are hopes of winning more than one gold medal, thanks
to the good draw."

In the Bandar Seri Begawan 1999 SEA Games, Malaysia only came
away with one gold medal from the mixed doubles pair of Chew
Choon Eng and Chor Hooi Yee. It also took three silvers and two
bronzes.

BAM has agreed to provide 5,000 Malaysian Ringgit (US$1,351)
for each gold medalist, in addition to the cash bonuses promised
by the Malaysian Olympic Committee, said Nadzmi.

Badminton will be played from Sept. 9 to Sept. 15 at Malawati
Stadium in Shah Alam, just outside Kuala Lumpur.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) also set an
affirmative target of regaining the gold medal in front of its
home crowd.

"Hard training will be useless without clear targets. There
should high expectations when we enter a competition and for the
SEA Games it must be the gold medal that we are seeking," FAM
vice president Ibrahim Saad told Bernama.

"My optimism is based on the enthusiasm shown by our soccer
players and the fact that we will play on our home ground," he
added.

Malaysia won the soccer gold medal the last time also on home
ground at the Kuala Lumpur 1989 SEA Games has persistently failed
to reach even the semifinals ever since.

Malaysia is in Group B with Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and
Vietnam, while defending champion Thailand is grouped together
with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Singapore in Group A.

The Philippines had announced earlier its withdrawal from the
event.

Malaysia will play its first match on Sunday against Brunei.

The host is also hoping to defend its women's basketball title
without too much difficulty.

"Our women's national team put on a terrific performance
during its outings in Chinese Taipei since July and in friendlies
against teams from Indonesia and Thailand," the Malaysian youth
and sports minister's deputy, Ong Tee Keat, said.

"The team also beat Asia's leading basketball teams during
their try out in China."

"Based on our achievements since 1977 and our advantage as the
SEA Games host, the gold medal is surely in our hands," he told a
press conference.

Malaysia won the women's basketball gold medals in 1977, 1979,
1981, 1985 and 1997. The 1999 SEA Games did not feature the
women's event.

The host has a different target for the men's basketball
event, however, and is only aiming for the bronze medal
considering the tough competition from Indonesia, Thailand, and
the Philippines. (nvn)