KUALA LUMPUR — Hopes of seeing two Malaysian male singles players qualify for the Olympic Games are dwindling further as Ng Tze Yong officially withdraws from the Spain Masters Championship scheduled for March 26.
“I’m not going to the Spain Masters as I am still in the recovery process,” Tze Yong briefly explained when approached at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara today.
Tze Yong currently ranks 17th in the Olympic qualification rankings with 58,735 points.
With the Olympic qualification deadline looming on April 28, Tze Yong’s chances of making his debut at the world’s largest sporting event are slim.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) stipulates that a country can only send two players in individual events if both players are within the top 16 in the Olympic qualification rankings for the Paris Olympics.
This means that former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia will be the sole representative for Malaysia in the men’s singles event in Paris.
Earlier, Tze Yong suffered a back injury during the 2024 Asia Team Badminton Championships (BATC) in Shah Alam, Selangor last month, which required him to undergo minor surgery.
Since then, the Johor-born player has missed out on two major tournaments, including the French Open and the All England, both of which offer Olympic qualification points for the Paris Olympics. — March 22, 2024
