Development of young talent key for badminton to thrive, says Mohammad Ahsan
Three-time badminton men's doubles World Champion Mohammad Ahsan at an exhibition match with Joshua Tan, 10, from the Wyse Active Talent Development Programme. PHOTO: WYSE ACTIVE
Development of young talent key for badminton to thrive, says Mohammad Ahsan
SINGAPORE - It was an experience to cherish for two primary school pupils – eight-year-old Kev Chong and Joshua Tan, 10 – as they shared the court with former Indonesian badminton star Mohammad Ahsan on June 22.
Rather than nerves, Kev felt 'proud and honoured' to be given the chance of sparring against the three-time doubles world champion and former world No. 1.
The Kong Hwa Primary School pupil added: 'I wasn't really nervous, I was thinking that this is just a sparring game, it wasn't a competition.'
St Andrew's Junior School's Joshua, on the other hand, was 'very excited' at his first opportunity to play with an Olympian during the exhibition match which also featured Wyse Active director Daniel Yudi Kurniawan.
The two youngsters are members of the Wyse Active talent development programme for players aged from seven to 13.
The exhibition match was among the activities held to mark the opening of the Victor concept store at the centre in Jurong East which featured 32 air-conditioned badminton courts. Also present was former minister Dr Maliki Osman, the patron-in-chief of the Singapore Badminton Association.
For Ahsan, an ambassador of sports goods maker Victor with his long-time doubles partner Hendra Setiawan, the development of young talent is key to the growth of the sport in the region.
He told The Straits Times: 'It is very important to support the kids, to support them financially, to support the ecosystem.'
Such moves are especially important for badminton in Indonesia, which he said is experiencing a reset after a lacklustre return from the Paris Olympics in 2024, when they came home with the women's singles bronze medal by Gregoria Tunjung.
Historically, Indonesia's badminton players have done well at the Games, nabbing eight gold, six silver, and eight bronze medals since 1988. Their last gold medal was won by women's doubles pair Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Ahsan, who remained a keen follower of the sport through television and social media, believes that the Indonesian national team are on the path back to greatness.
'The target is always the Olympics,' added the 37-year-old, who retired with Hendra in January after the Indonesia Masters.
Despite failing to win an Olympic medal during his career spanning three decades, Ahsan's badminton prowess has earned him gold medals in the Asian Games, SEA Games, and a career high ranking of world No, 1 in 2013 with Hendra.
The pair, affectionately known as 'The Daddies' by their fans due to their loving relationships with their children, are now business partners in running a badminton centre in Jakarta.
Mohammad Ahsan with eight-year-old Kev Chong during the exhibition match.
PHOTO: WYSE ACTIVE
On June 22, Victor also announced the sponsorship commitment of $300,000 over two years in support of Wyse Active's athlete development initiatives.
These include programmes such as Dare to Dream, which seeks to identify sporting talents aged seven to nine from lower-income families, and AmberHeart Badminton Buddies, which provides opportunities for children living in rental flats to engage in sports.
'We are very serious about establishing a pipeline to the SBA programmes,' said Kurniawan.
In order to achieve this goal, the talent development programme aims to provide not just world-class facilities, equipment, and coaching from former national players, but also sponsorship and opportunities for young badminton talents to compete in both local and international tournaments.
Currently, players train at least three times a week, though, some, such as Joshua, crave for more.
Having played against Ahsan, the pupil has dreams of not only playing against Olympians, but also becoming one himself.
It is a dream that aligns with the potential that Ahsan sees in the Singaporean badminton scene, which he said was 'not bad' due to the strength of the men's singles and mixed doubles players.
'I hope this new facility will create new champions, new Loh Kean Yews, new Yeo Jia Mins,' he added.
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