25/05/2025

SPORTS 15 ON SUNDAY MAY 25, 2025

BAM lodges official complaint over umpiring decisions Tengku Zafrul, Yeoh discuss court condensation issue THE Badminton Association of

THE Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has lodged a formal complaint with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) over mul tiple umpiring decisions that it deemed conten tious during the second-round action at the Malaysia Masters 2025 on Thursday (May 22). BAM alleged that three decisions made at crucial points of the match between young national men’s doubles pair Kang Khai Xing Aaron Tai and Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer Frederik Sogaard had significantly influenced the outcome, thus raising serious concerns over the fairness of play. “A formal complaint has been submitted alongside video evidence and detailed match

documentation for BWF’s immediate review. “BAM remains committed to upholding the values of sportsmanship and professionalism, and calls on BWF to take swift and transparent action to address this matter and prevent simi lar incidents in future competitions,” it said in a statement yesterday. The controversial umpiring decisions marred Khai Xing-Aaron’s exit to the Danes, who won the 67-minute clash 21-10, 24-26, 21 16. Meanwhile, BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh, in the same statement, empha sised the importance of maintaining integrity in officiating, stating that while the association

respects the role of technical officials, it is cru cial for a thorough review of officiating stan dards be conducted by the BWF. In BAM’s view, Kenny said, the decisions made by the umpire were clearly erroneous and denied the players a fair contest. “Such officiating not only affects the out come of matches but also undermines the credibility of the sport of badminton,” he said. National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi had, after the match, described such decisions made as unfair and felt that the situation placed emotional stress on 19-year old Khai Xing and 18-year-old Aaron. – Bernama

New Joe steals spotlight NATIONAL junior cyclist Lau New Joe stole the spotlight at the 2025 National and National Junior Track Cycling Championships, winning two gold medals in the elite category for both the Scratch and Individual Pursuit events yesterday. In the action held at the Iskandar Puteri Velodrome in Johor, New Joe, representing Kuala Lumpur, finished first in the scratch event with a time of 12:06.215 seconds (s), defeating his closest rival Muhammad Hafiq Mohd Jafri from Malacca, who settled for second place, while Perak cyclist Muhammad Yusri Shaari came in third. In the Individual Pursuit, the 20 year-old cyclist won gold after com pleting the race with a time of 4:30.870s, beating Abdul Azim Aliyas from Negeri Sembilan and Muhammad Adam Hakimi Nazuan from Perak, who had to settle for sec ond and third places respectively. Meanwhile, national Olympian Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir excelled, win ning gold in the elite women’s scratch event after finishing the race with a time of 11:08.189s. The silver and bronze medals for this event were won by Kedah cyclists Nutil Nabilah Mohd Asri and P. Phi Kun. For the elite women’s individual pursuit event, Kuala Lumpur cyclist Yeong Zhen Yi successfully won the gold medal with a time of 5:06.847s, defeating Perak’s Nyi Ci Hui and Johor’s Khairunnisa Aleeya Saifulnizam, who settled for silver and bronze medals. – Bernama Malaysia (BAM) president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz has addressed concerns over playing con ditions at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, following complaints about water on the court during the ongoing Malaysia Masters 2025. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tengku Zafrul said he had discussed the issue with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh after receiving several reports since the tournament began on Tuesday. The issue, initially believed to be a leak from the roof, has now been attributed to condensation, according to the Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM), which manages the venue. “I received many complaints. BAM brought the matter to PSM’s attention. The conclusion? Not a leak, but con densation. PSM took immediate action to minimise disruption to play,” his post read. Yesterday, PSM chief executive officer Iliyas Jamil clarified that the water droplets seen on the court were due to condensation and not structural faults. He explained that the moisture originated from around the existing fire suppression and air-conditioning infra structure attached to the roof. During matches this week, several delays were observed as court staff had to wipe down wet patches before play could resume, a situation noted by Bernama during onsite coverage. – Bernama

Final showdown One step away from Masters glory in an all-Malaysian men’s doubles final

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National men’s doubles Man Wei Chong (left) and Kai Wun Tee in action against Japanese pair Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (not pictured) yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

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MALAYSIA is guaranteed its first men’s doubles title at the Malaysia Masters in 12 years as national pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik booked their spot for a historic “civil war” against compatriots Man Wei Chong Tee Kai Wun for the 2025 edition today. Buoyed by a dominant performance from Wei Chong-Kai Wun in the earlier semifinal yesterday, the fourth-seeded pair did not disappoint the roaring home crowd in Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil as they stunned Denmark’s top seeds and defending champions, Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in 64 minutes. Aaron-Wooi Yik were not at their best early on, trailing 9-11 at the interval but they rediscovered their rhythm to edge ahead 15-14 and held their nerve in the closing moments to clinch the opening set 21-19. The world No. 3 pair then lost their grip in the second set, struggling to find momentum as they surrendered the second set to the world number one duo, 17-21. In the decider, the 2022 world champions came out firing at all corners, racing to a commanding 9-1 lead and marched to their maiden Malaysia Masters final with 21-15, thanks to a deadly powerful front shot from Wooi Yik. National men’s doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are just one win away from glory after a stunning 21-12, 21-14 semifinal victory over Japan’s Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi yesterday. The first game began cautiously, with both pairs level at 3-3 before found their rhythm and turned on the style to open up a seven-point lead at 15-8 before romping to a 21-12 win. The fifth-seeded Malaysians had a shaky start to the second set, trailing 0-2 before they caught fire to storm to an 11-5 lead before a delicate net shot from Kai Wun sealed the deal, sending them into the

final with a commanding 21-14 win in just 31 minutes. This was their first-ever win over the 2021 world champions from Japan, having fallen short in their two previous encounters. He said yesterday’s win over another world-class pair, following their 19-21, 21 7, 21-16 quarterfinal triumph over world No. 2 and compatriots Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani had given them a major confidence boost heading into the final. “It would be great if we can become champions but what's important is that we must focus on our performance,” he said. Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah were the last Malaysian men's doubles pair to emerge victorious in the Malaysia Masters back in 2013. Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah fell short of reaching the final of the Malaysia Masters 2025 after losing to China’s Jia Yi Fan Zhang Shu Xian 16-21, 21-15, 14-21 in their semifinal clash yesterday. This marks the second consecutive loss for Pearly-Thinaah to the same Chinese pair, having also lost to them at the Orleans Masters 2025 last March. “For today’s match we feel disappointed, but we won’t dwell on it for long. We really gave our best and we did quite well,” Pearly told reporters. Pearly described Yi Fan as having great game variety, particularly in controlling the backcourt, while Shu Xian is an aggressive net player – making them a well-synchronised women’s doubles pair. The defeat extends Pearly-Thinaah’s Malaysia Masters heartbreak, with their last final appearance in this tournament being in the 2023 edition, where they lost to South Korea’s Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee 20 22, 21-8, 17-21 in an epic 101-minute battle. – Bernama

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