Latest news with #AaronChia
Barnama
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Barnama
Aaron-Wooi Yik Capable Of Getting Top Spot Ahead Of World Meet
KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 (Bernama) -- A strong showing at the Japan and China Opens next month could lift national men's doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to the world No. 1 ranking and boost their seeding prospects at the world championships, said head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi. He said clinching the world's top ranking could help the Olympic bronze medallists secure a better seeding at the world championships in Paris this August. 'Aaron and Wooi Yik are already ranked second in the world, which I think is good enough to help with their seeding at the world championships.
Malay Mail
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
‘No. 1? Why not,' says coach Herry on Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's world ranking push
KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — A strong showing at the Japan and China Opens next month could lift national men's doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to the world No. 1 ranking and boost their seeding prospects at the world championships, said head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi. He said clinching the world's top ranking could help the Olympic bronze medallists secure a better seeding at the world championships in Paris this August. 'Aaron and Wooi Yik are already ranked second in the world, which I think is good enough to help with their seeding at the world championships. 'But if they can become world No. 1 before then, why not? Of course, that would be even better,' he told reporters after a national team training session at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) here today. Aaron-Wooi Yik are ranked second with 89,870 points, just 1,220 points behind their compatriots and professional pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. However, Herry said the world No. 1 ranking is not the top priority for Aaron-Wooi Yik, as it is more important to be well prepared for all tournaments. Aaron-Wooi Yik are the first and only Malaysians to have won a world badminton title, achieving the feat in 2022 in Tokyo after defeating Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. — Bernama
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Aaron-Wooi Yik capable of getting top spot
KUALA LUMPUR: A strong showing at the Japan and China Opens next month could lift national men's doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to the world No. 1 ranking and boost their seeding prospects at the world championships, said head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi. He said clinching the world's top ranking could help the Olympic bronze medallists secure a better seeding at the world championships in Paris this August. 'Aaron and Wooi Yik are already ranked second in the world, which I think is good enough to help with their seeding at the world championships. 'But if they can become world No. 1 before then, why not? Of course, that would be even better,' he told reporters after a national team training session at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) here today. Aaron-Wooi Yik are ranked second with 89,870 points, just 1,220 points behind their compatriots and professional pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. However, Herry said the world No. 1 ranking is not the top priority for Aaron-Wooi Yik, as it is more important to be well prepared for all tournaments. Aaron-Wooi Yik are the first and only Malaysians to have won a world badminton title, achieving the feat in 2022 in Tokyo after defeating Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Aaron-Wooi Yik capable of getting top spot ahead of world meet
KUALA LUMPUR: A strong showing at the Japan and China Opens next month could lift national men's doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to the world No. 1 ranking and boost their seeding prospects at the world championships, said head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi. He said clinching the world's top ranking could help the Olympic bronze medallists secure a better seeding at the world championships in Paris this August. 'Aaron and Wooi Yik are already ranked second in the world, which I think is good enough to help with their seeding at the world championships. 'But if they can become world No. 1 before then, why not? Of course, that would be even better,' he told reporters after a national team training session at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) here today. Aaron-Wooi Yik are ranked second with 89,870 points, just 1,220 points behind their compatriots and professional pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. However, Herry said the world No. 1 ranking is not the top priority for Aaron-Wooi Yik, as it is more important to be well prepared for all tournaments. Aaron-Wooi Yik are the first and only Malaysians to have won a world badminton title, achieving the feat in 2022 in Tokyo after defeating Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
New Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
A greedy BWF is pushing its shuttlers
ELITE sports is no longer about competition. It's about consumption. And the athletes? They're just the product. In a world where TV rights, sponsorship deals and bloated global calendars rule the roost, it's becoming painfully clear, nobody is protecting the athletes. Not really. This week alone has delivered two glaring reminders. The Badminton World Federation (BWF), in a sweeping revamp, wants to stretch its Super 1000 tournaments, including the Malaysia Open from six days to 11 starting in 2027. An Olympic-style group stage for singles players is also on the table. The idea, they say, is to boost fan engagement and player welfare. Sounds lovely. But read between the lines, it's all about one thing - money. More days mean more ticket sales. More exposure means bigger ad revenue. And longer tournaments to keep broadcasters happy. Whether the athletes themselves can stay healthy is secondary. Even former world champion Aaron Chia, who usually plays it safe with his words, expressed cautious optimism. Yes, the extra prize money is welcome, but as he rightly pointed out: "We haven't tried it yet, so let's see." That's athlete-speak for: This could be a disaster. Here's the kicker. The BWF isn't just extending tournaments, it's clamping down on player freedom. The top 10 ranked pairs and top 15 singles players must play in all four Super 1000 events — the Malaysia Open, All England, Indonesia Open and China Open — as well as all six Super 750 tournaments and at least two of the nine Super 500 events each season. That's 12 mandatory tournaments a year. Miss one? You're slapped with a US$5,000 fine. And that's just the Tour. Players also have to squeeze in the continental championships, World Championships, the World Tour Finals, Sudirman Cup, Thomas or Uber Cup and the Olympics, depending on the year. In all, a top shuttler plays around 15-20 tournaments in a year. So much for improving "player welfare". Across the globe, footballers are caught in a similar bind — trapped by a relentless calendar designed for one thing — maximum profit. The Club World Cup, FIFA's latest cash cow, features 32 teams. Matches have kicked off in the United States, barely a month after some players ended their seasons. For context, a single campaign for a top English team includes the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League. And by the time the Club World Cup wraps up on July 13, many stars will have just 24 days before the madness of the 2025-26 season begins. FIFPRO, the global players' union, has had enough. Backed by 70 medical experts, they've released a damning study recommending 12 safeguards, including a four-week off-season, a mid-season break, and workload limits for under-18s. And still, nothing changes. FIFA insists the Club World Cup "hasn't caused" fixture congestion Really? Tell that to Manchester City's Rodri, who was sidelined for eight months with ACL and meniscus injuries. Or to the Seattle Sounders, who turned up for training wearing shirts that read: "Club World Ca$h Grab". The suits say it's about growing the game. What it's really about is growing the bank account. And who gets left behind? The very people who make the product marketable — the athletes. The ones who run, sweat, collapse, bleed and break. The ones with shredded hamstrings, worn-out joints and mental scars no doctor can fix. But as long as they keep showing up, no one cares. This obsession with expansion has turned professional sports into a circus. One that never stops moving. No rest. No recovery. Just go, go, go. You've got footballers playing 70 matches a season. Tennis stars juggling ATP, WTA, Grand Slams, Laver Cup and the Olympics. Cricketers hopping from Tests to T20s to franchise leagues across continents. And now, badminton players are being lined up for the same treatment — marathon events, overloaded calendars, mandatory appearances. And financial penalties for skipping them. What happens when they burn out? When the knees give in? When the mental fatigue becomes too much? Well, that's someone else's problem. Organisers will simply move on to the next marketable name. The machine doesn't stop, it just reloads. Let's be absolutely clear, sports needs structure. It needs calendar stability. It needs to grow. But not like this. Because what we're seeing isn't growth — it's greed. A mad dash for global domination where players are reduced to content creators in jerseys, made to dance for fans and financiers, while their health — physical and mental — is traded for metrics. It's high time we said it out loud: modern sports is failing its athletes. And if the governing bodies won't act, don't be surprised when more players speak out. Or worse, walk away. Because when the games keep getting bigger, but the humans playing them are pushed to breaking point, we need to ask: Is this really the future we want? Or are we just watching greatness die, one tournament at a time?
