11/02/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | FEB 11, 2026

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Tougher times BAM sec-gen says Malaysia Open faces bigger organising challenge from next year T HE staging of the Malaysia Open is expected to be more challenging from next year following the restruc turing of the Badminton World all top-ranked players are required to come and compete in Malaysia. So this is a very positive thing for Malaysia,” he told reporters after a training session here yesterday. group stage followed by the knockout rounds, while the doubles events will adopt a straight knockout format involving 32 pairs. Each tournament will last 11 days, span ning two weekends, with all 1,095 matches from Super 1000 tournaments to be broad cast globally.

RESULTS & STANDINGS ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield United 1 Middlesbrough 2. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Mid’boro 31 18 7 6 49 30 61 Coventry 31 17 8 6 63 35 59 Ipswich 30 15 9 6 51 29 54 Hull 31 16 6 9 50 43 54 Millwall 31 15 8 8 39 36 53 Wrexham 31 12 11 8 44 39 47 LA LIGA: Villarreal 4 (Mikautadze 35, Salinas 41-og, Pepe 50, Moleiro 55) Espanyol 1 (Cabrera 88) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 23 19 1 3 63 23 58 Real Madrid 23 18 3 2 49 18 57 Atletico 23 13 6 4 38 18 45 Villarreal 22 14 3 5 43 24 45 Real Betis 23 10 8 5 37 28 38 Espanyol 23 10 4 9 27 31 34 SERIE A: Atalanta 2 (Krstovic 13, Zappacosta 25) Cremonese 1 (Thorsby 90+4) Roma 2 (Malen 25, 65) Cagliari 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 24 19 1 4 57 19 58 AC Milan 23 14 8 1 38 17 50 Napoli 24 15 4 5 36 23 49 Juventus 24 13 7 4 41 20 46 Roma 24 15 1 8 29 14 46 Como 23 11 8 4 37 16 41

He said he also understood the rationale behind the BWF’s move to stage Super 1000 tournaments over 11 days to maximise exposure to television audiences worldwide, compared with the current six days. Goh likened the strategy to other popular sports such as football and tennis, which regularly feature on television and are able to build a large fan base. Besides the Malaysia Open, the BWF has also retained the China Open, All England and Indonesia Open as Super 1000 tourna ments, while the Denmark Open has been upgraded from Super 750 to Super 1000 under the revamped World Tour structure starting next year. For Super 1000 tournaments, the singles events will feature 48 players competing in a

Federation (BWF) World Tour announced by the sport’s world governing body on Monday. Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said the longer competition period, along with an increase in prize money, presents greater challenges in organising the Super 1000 tournament. “We are grateful to the BWF for retaining us in the World Tour Super 1000 (Malaysia Open) and World Tour Super 500 (Malaysia Masters). We expect challenges given the new 11-day format and the increase in prize money. “However, we feel this is important for the development of badminton in Malaysia. If we can maintain Super 1000 status, it means

The BWF also announced an increase in prize money across all tournament tiers, with Super 1000 events offering US$2 million (RM7.9m), up from US$1.45 million (RM5.7m) in 2026. Prize money for Super 750 tournaments will rise to US$1.1 million (RM4.3m) from US$950,000 (RM3.7m), while Super 500 events will increase to US$560,000 (RM2.2m) from US$500,000 (RM1.9m). Meanwhile, the finals of the Sudirman Cup and the Thomas & Uber Cups will be expanded from 16 to 24 teams, allowing for broader international participation and greater diversity in competition. – Bernama

Hartono shrugs off pressure

‘Injury issues stall international progress’

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NATIONAL men’s singles new coach Harry Hartono has admitted that he does not feel pressured to elevate the stature and quality of Malaysian players in the future. Harry, who has experience coaching Indonesia’s world No. 4 Jonathan Christie and rising player Alwi Farhan (ranked 14th), said he is ready to take national players such as Leong Jun Hao (ranked 26th) and Justin Hoh (ranked 39th) to a higher level. “I don’t feel any pressure because this is professional work. I am now with BAM (the Badminton Association of Malaysia) and focused on improving the players we currently have. “Of course, it is also a challenge to coach my players so that they can shine on the world stage and become world number one or world champion,” he told reporters after his first training session yesterday. While acknowledging that national players do possess their own quality, Harry hopes his coaching touch can help his charges maintain consistency, particu larly in challenging other world-class players. Regarding his first training session after officially reporting for duty yester day, he said he was pleased to see the high level of commitment shown by the national players during court training. He revealed that he was keen to take on a new challenge and expand his coaching career in Malaysia, despite hav ing returned to the Indonesian Badminton Association as assistant men’s singles coach to replace Marleve Mainaky last September. He said Malaysia is the second country he has worked in overseas after his stint in Taiwan from 2005 to 2010, during which he identified the talent of their leading player, Chou Tien Chen (ranked sixth). Harry has signed a contract with BAM until 2028. In addition to Harry, BAM has also appointed Yeoh Kay Bin as the junior men’s singles coach, with both of them set to work together in guiding the national men’s singles squad alongside head coach Datuk Tey Seu Bock, as well as K. Yogendran, Alvin Chew and Goh Giap Chin. – Bernama

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INJURY problems that have recently plagued national men’s singles badminton players are seen as having, to some extent, affected their progress on the international stage, said Wong Choong Hann. The former Malaysian coach and singles player said the issue can be addressed through proper rehabilitation to ensure the national players maintain peak performance levels. Wong, who is now head coach of the Hong Kong national squad, stressed that if players are free from injuries, it will give them the opportunity to perform at their true level and prove their capabilities on the competitive stage. “The injuries they have suffered have caused their performances to be inconsistent. However, I see this as only a temporary issue and not due to a lack of quality men’s singles players such as Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong and even, at times, Leong Jun Hao, who has also Hong Kong national squad head coach Wong Choong Hann speaks during a press conference after the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony. – BERNAMAPIC

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been affected by injuries. “The recovery process is important to pre pare them for upcoming challenges, whether at the Asian Games or the Olympic Games,” he said at the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between the National Sports Council and the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) in Bukit Jalil yesterday. He said this when asked to comment on the current performance and development of the national men’s singles players. At the same time, he emphasised that young players such as Justin Hoh should be given sufficient space and time to achieve good results. Jun Hao remains the country’s top men’s singles player, ranked 26th in the world, fol lowed by Justin (39th), while Zii Jia is ranked 63rd globally. Wong was among the HKSI delegation pre sent at the signing ceremony. – Bernama NSC has been entrusted with ensuring the organisation runs smoothly, but we are still awaiting the Cabinet’s decision,” he said. Jefri was speaking to reporters after the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the NSC and the Hong Kong Sports Institute at Bukit Jalil yesterday. In the previous edition, 130 riders from 22 teams took part, including two WorldTour teams, nine ProTeams, 10 Continental teams and one national team. LTdL 2025 featured eight stages covering a total distance of 1,244.2 kilometres. – Bernama

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NSC awaiting Cabinet call on LTdL26 THE National Sports Council (NSC) is awaiting Cabinet approval before announcing the organisation of the 2026 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), says NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin.

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He said internal preparations to ensure the smooth running of the prestigious race were already underway, including discussions with the relevant associations and technical teams. According to him, the preparation of the working paper has been completed and is now at the ministry level before being tabled to the Cabinet. “The plan is for the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) to organise the event, and the

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