KUALA LUMPUR: National badminton doubles coach
Pang Cheh Chang has not ruled out the possibility of tinkering with the
men’s doubles pairs at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, from Sept 19-Oct 4.
But, he stressed, the “mix-and-match” approach will only apply to the team competition – if necessary.
“It is possible that we may have to make changes to the men’s pairings
at the Asian Games ... but, of course, it will be only for the team
event,” said Cheh Chang.
“Just like in the Thomas Cup, we have
to be flexible and make adjustments according to the situation ... and
depending on who we play against.
“But I still have several weeks to work things out.
“For the individual event, though, V Shem-Wee Kiong and Boon Heong-Thien How will be our two representatives.”
“We should brace ourselves for a stronger China. They made mistakes in
New Delhi (Thomas Cup) but they surely won’t repeat it,” said Cheh
Chang.
“They will definitely go all out to restore their pride
and this is evident from their willingness to sacrifice a few young
players and replacing them with the likes of Lin Dan and Cai Yun.
“We can certainly expect a hard time. China will not let the gold medal slip away from them.”