SINGAPORE: Singapore aims to be a "top-performing badminton nation" but work needs to be done to bolster the existing talent pipeline, said the national sports association's top brass.
Speaking to CNA in a wide-ranging interview in November, Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) president Lawrence Leow and deputy president Abdul Hamid Khan said they had their eye on Denmark as a benchmark.
"Its population size is about the same as Singapore’s, and it has players ranked in the top 25 in all five disciplines," said Leow.
Traditionally one of the sport's biggest powerhouses, the Danes boast the likes of double Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and world No 2 Anders Antonsen in the men's singles, as well as the world top ranked pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen in the men's doubles.
Hamid, a former national player and Olympian himself, said Singapore badminton was starting out from "a good place".
For one, Singapore men's and women's singles players Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min are ranked in the world's top 20 (both are at No 13). Men's singles player Jason Teh also reached a career high earlier this year.
The husband-wife mixed doubles pair of Terry Hee and Jessica Tan are also in the world's top 25, though it was announced in November that Hee will partner Jin Yujia for now as Tan “has not fully recovered from her injuries and is not sufficiently competition-fit”.
A generation of younger players is also coming up, added Hamid.
This includes the men's doubles duo of Kubo Junsuke and Wesley Koh, who won the Polish International Challenge a few months after completing National Service obligations.
Leow, who has served as SBA president since 2018, also pointed to Singapore's badminton players qualifying in three disciplines at the 2024 Paris Olympics; as well as Hee and Tan winning gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games as among indications of a high performance framework "working well".
At the grassroots level, interest in the sport continues to grow, with high demand for courts at community clubs and "very good" ticket sales at the Singapore Badminton Open, said Leow.
"In Singapore, we have the benefit of strong government support ... as well as a good pathway system and the backing from many corporate sponsors," he added.
"But we cannot stay still, and we continue to tweak our systems, processes and structures."
Among other things, Leow's focus during his fourth term - he was re-elected in September - will be on growing the base of both recreational and competitive players, and building a strong talent pipeline.
The latter remains the most pressing issue for SBA, as well as many other national sports associations in Singapore.
To start, SBA wants to reach out to younger players, said Leow.
"Without that base, you cannot funnel the way upwards," he aded. "This base is not there at the moment. Some may be good at badminton, but you lose them to other sports."
One way the association will attempt to address this is by setting up still more badminton facilities in Singapore, and providing more playing opportunities, he revealed.
SBA also plans to develop better and wider scouting capabilities.
It's not talent which holds Singapore back, said the SBA president.
"If let's say you picked 10 Malaysians and 10 Singaporeans at the age of eight or nine and said: 'You don't do anything and just play badminton', I don't think our (group) is inferior," Leow said.
After youngsters get into the sport and get good at it, they eventually come to a crossroads when deciding whether it can be a viable career.
Here, financial stability and planning for a career after their days as a competitive athlete are key factors, said Leow.
He pointed to national programmes such as the spexScholarship and spexPotential as providing "important financial support" for athletes within the high performance sports pathway.
But SBA is going the extra mile, with a post-athletic career gratuity programme which it established last year.
The amount to be awarded will be pegged to an athlete’s highest world ranking and their time representing Singapore, with payouts up to S$100,000 (US$74,493).
The association wants to complement this with a one-to-one, individually tailored career coaching scheme where national players work with an adviser to acquire certain competencies - while they're still competing.
Skills can include coding, web design, branding and marketing or financial literacy.
Spurred by the successes of Singapore's badminton stars, some parents now see things differently, said Leow, though he added that they still need to see a plan laid out for their child.
Away from the athletes, it has been a season of change for SBA.
In October, the association announced that Kelvin Ho will take over as singles head coach of the national training squad from 2025. Ho played an instrumental role in the meteoric rise of former world champion Loh.
"Kelvin Ho has known Kean Yew for many years, and has done a remarkable job taking Kean Yew to the world championship title," said Hamid.
Ho's move meant that two vacancies opened up - for the positions of men's singles head coach and women's singles head coach.
The latter role has since been filled by Kim Ji-hyun, who has coached the India, South Korea and Thailand national teams. She was credited with playing an instrumental role in Pusarla Sindhu’s 2019 world championship victory, and has also mentored current world No 10 Supanida Katethong.
Kim will start from Jan 1 and also serve as interim men's singles head coach.
Describing it as "hunting season" for SBA, Hamid said it is looking for singles coaches who've had success grooming players to become world champions and Olympians, and taking them to top 10 positions and winning Super 1000 tournaments.
"This is indeed a tall order," he added.
Given that marquee names often command larger salaries, Leow added that SBA has to be prudent with the way it allocates resources.
"We have to balance this wishlist with funding for players' development and participation in overseas tournaments."
In the case of Loh and Yeo, the hope is for the new singles coaches to "plug the gaps" in their current levels of technique, physicality, gameplay and mental conditioning, added Hamid.
The technical director role is also vacant after Martin Andrew stepped down in August, more than three years since taking up the post.
Describing it as a "highly complex" position, Leow said a technical director has to be a highly competent administrator and a masterful strategist among other things. He or she will also have to work with SBA to develop scouting networks.
Additionally, SBA is looking to hire a new chief executive officer with incumbent Alan Ow stepping down at the end of the year to "focus on being more present for his family", said the association.
"Even at the SBA board level, we are looking for new people with different expertise and experiences who can offer fresh insights and skills," said Leow.
"The search for a new technical director, the reassignment of coaching responsibilities, the reshuffling of vice presidents to different portfolios at the board level are all part and parcel of SBA’s journey toward its mission.”
Compilation photo of Singapore's Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min at the Paris Olympics. (Photos: Photo: SNOC/Kong Chong Yew; AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Despite the challenges on the horizon, Leow and Hamid were optimistic for the future of the sport in Singapore.
At the high performance level, Loh and Yeo have what it takes to excel even more, they said.
“They have hit certain career peaks, but they have to be consistent in their performance in order to remain at the top. They also need to peak at the right times," said Hamid.
"On a good day, Kean Yew and Jia Min can beat anybody."
Leow said there was little separating the top 20 singles players in the world, at least in terms of physical ability.
"Often the differentiating factor is whether you have the mental fortitude or the adaptability on court during the match to close it out," he added.
Beyond Loh and Yeo, all national players and all of the association want the same thing: To "win big" and "win more".
"We cannot settle for less," said Leow.
He said Singaporeans should not expect an "overnight miracle" simply based on hiring famous coaches.
Instead, it is SBA's "multi-pronged holistic approach" that will get Singapore closer to its goal of being among the world's best badminton nations, he added.
Should SBA's plans come to fruition, it "should not be difficult" to have another Singaporean world champion in the future.
"We will have to start by consistently getting to the finals of a few BWF (Badminton World Federation) tournaments, and then win them; we will also need to medal at the SEA Games and Asian Games, and finally at the Olympics," said Leow.
"For this to happen, we will need all of Singapore to rally behind the sport of badminton, for children to want to play badminton, and for parents to support their sporting journey.”
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Speaking to CNA in a wide-ranging interview in November, Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) president Lawrence Leow and deputy president Abdul Hamid Khan said they had their eye on Denmark as a benchmark.
"Its population size is about the same as Singapore’s, and it has players ranked in the top 25 in all five disciplines," said Leow.
Traditionally one of the sport's biggest powerhouses, the Danes boast the likes of double Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and world No 2 Anders Antonsen in the men's singles, as well as the world top ranked pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen in the men's doubles.
Hamid, a former national player and Olympian himself, said Singapore badminton was starting out from "a good place".
For one, Singapore men's and women's singles players Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min are ranked in the world's top 20 (both are at No 13). Men's singles player Jason Teh also reached a career high earlier this year.
The husband-wife mixed doubles pair of Terry Hee and Jessica Tan are also in the world's top 25, though it was announced in November that Hee will partner Jin Yujia for now as Tan “has not fully recovered from her injuries and is not sufficiently competition-fit”.
A generation of younger players is also coming up, added Hamid.
This includes the men's doubles duo of Kubo Junsuke and Wesley Koh, who won the Polish International Challenge a few months after completing National Service obligations.
Related:
Leow, who has served as SBA president since 2018, also pointed to Singapore's badminton players qualifying in three disciplines at the 2024 Paris Olympics; as well as Hee and Tan winning gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games as among indications of a high performance framework "working well".
At the grassroots level, interest in the sport continues to grow, with high demand for courts at community clubs and "very good" ticket sales at the Singapore Badminton Open, said Leow.
"In Singapore, we have the benefit of strong government support ... as well as a good pathway system and the backing from many corporate sponsors," he added.
"But we cannot stay still, and we continue to tweak our systems, processes and structures."
CAN BADMINTON BE A VIABLE CAREER?
Among other things, Leow's focus during his fourth term - he was re-elected in September - will be on growing the base of both recreational and competitive players, and building a strong talent pipeline.
The latter remains the most pressing issue for SBA, as well as many other national sports associations in Singapore.
To start, SBA wants to reach out to younger players, said Leow.
"Without that base, you cannot funnel the way upwards," he aded. "This base is not there at the moment. Some may be good at badminton, but you lose them to other sports."
One way the association will attempt to address this is by setting up still more badminton facilities in Singapore, and providing more playing opportunities, he revealed.
SBA also plans to develop better and wider scouting capabilities.
It's not talent which holds Singapore back, said the SBA president.
"If let's say you picked 10 Malaysians and 10 Singaporeans at the age of eight or nine and said: 'You don't do anything and just play badminton', I don't think our (group) is inferior," Leow said.
Related:
After youngsters get into the sport and get good at it, they eventually come to a crossroads when deciding whether it can be a viable career.
Here, financial stability and planning for a career after their days as a competitive athlete are key factors, said Leow.
He pointed to national programmes such as the spexScholarship and spexPotential as providing "important financial support" for athletes within the high performance sports pathway.
But SBA is going the extra mile, with a post-athletic career gratuity programme which it established last year.
The amount to be awarded will be pegged to an athlete’s highest world ranking and their time representing Singapore, with payouts up to S$100,000 (US$74,493).
The association wants to complement this with a one-to-one, individually tailored career coaching scheme where national players work with an adviser to acquire certain competencies - while they're still competing.
Skills can include coding, web design, branding and marketing or financial literacy.
Spurred by the successes of Singapore's badminton stars, some parents now see things differently, said Leow, though he added that they still need to see a plan laid out for their child.
"A TALL ORDER"
Away from the athletes, it has been a season of change for SBA.
In October, the association announced that Kelvin Ho will take over as singles head coach of the national training squad from 2025. Ho played an instrumental role in the meteoric rise of former world champion Loh.
"Kelvin Ho has known Kean Yew for many years, and has done a remarkable job taking Kean Yew to the world championship title," said Hamid.
Related:
Ho's move meant that two vacancies opened up - for the positions of men's singles head coach and women's singles head coach.
The latter role has since been filled by Kim Ji-hyun, who has coached the India, South Korea and Thailand national teams. She was credited with playing an instrumental role in Pusarla Sindhu’s 2019 world championship victory, and has also mentored current world No 10 Supanida Katethong.
Kim will start from Jan 1 and also serve as interim men's singles head coach.
Describing it as "hunting season" for SBA, Hamid said it is looking for singles coaches who've had success grooming players to become world champions and Olympians, and taking them to top 10 positions and winning Super 1000 tournaments.
"This is indeed a tall order," he added.
Given that marquee names often command larger salaries, Leow added that SBA has to be prudent with the way it allocates resources.
"We have to balance this wishlist with funding for players' development and participation in overseas tournaments."
In the case of Loh and Yeo, the hope is for the new singles coaches to "plug the gaps" in their current levels of technique, physicality, gameplay and mental conditioning, added Hamid.
The technical director role is also vacant after Martin Andrew stepped down in August, more than three years since taking up the post.
Describing it as a "highly complex" position, Leow said a technical director has to be a highly competent administrator and a masterful strategist among other things. He or she will also have to work with SBA to develop scouting networks.
Additionally, SBA is looking to hire a new chief executive officer with incumbent Alan Ow stepping down at the end of the year to "focus on being more present for his family", said the association.
"Even at the SBA board level, we are looking for new people with different expertise and experiences who can offer fresh insights and skills," said Leow.
"The search for a new technical director, the reassignment of coaching responsibilities, the reshuffling of vice presidents to different portfolios at the board level are all part and parcel of SBA’s journey toward its mission.”
Compilation photo of Singapore's Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min at the Paris Olympics. (Photos: Photo: SNOC/Kong Chong Yew; AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
WIN MORE, WIN BIG
Despite the challenges on the horizon, Leow and Hamid were optimistic for the future of the sport in Singapore.
At the high performance level, Loh and Yeo have what it takes to excel even more, they said.
“They have hit certain career peaks, but they have to be consistent in their performance in order to remain at the top. They also need to peak at the right times," said Hamid.
"On a good day, Kean Yew and Jia Min can beat anybody."
Leow said there was little separating the top 20 singles players in the world, at least in terms of physical ability.
"Often the differentiating factor is whether you have the mental fortitude or the adaptability on court during the match to close it out," he added.
Beyond Loh and Yeo, all national players and all of the association want the same thing: To "win big" and "win more".
"We cannot settle for less," said Leow.
He said Singaporeans should not expect an "overnight miracle" simply based on hiring famous coaches.
Instead, it is SBA's "multi-pronged holistic approach" that will get Singapore closer to its goal of being among the world's best badminton nations, he added.
Should SBA's plans come to fruition, it "should not be difficult" to have another Singaporean world champion in the future.
"We will have to start by consistently getting to the finals of a few BWF (Badminton World Federation) tournaments, and then win them; we will also need to medal at the SEA Games and Asian Games, and finally at the Olympics," said Leow.
"For this to happen, we will need all of Singapore to rally behind the sport of badminton, for children to want to play badminton, and for parents to support their sporting journey.”
Continue reading...