TheStar BY LIM TEIK HUAT KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are likely to appoint an overall chief coach if the singles players are split into two groups with Misbun Sidek taking charge of one and Chinese coach Li Mao handling the other. With Misbun not keen on retaining the job as the singles chief coach, the current doubles chief, Yap Kim Hock, has emerged as a strong candidate for the post. Misbun said on Tuesday that he preferred to spend more time on court with his charges and did not want to be burdened with the additional tasks of handling administrative matters. Kim Hock with China's Lia Mao during a training session. Kim Hock is fluent in Mandarin and should have no problems communicating with the Chinese coach. The BAM exco, chaired by their president, Datuk Mohd Nazdmi Salleh, will meet tomorrow to decide on the new coaching set-up and plans for the national team. The BAM have hired Li Mao as a “high performance coach†to work hand-in-hand with Misbun in training the singles players. Misbun is likely to take charge of the younger set of players, including national number one Lee Chong Wei and Kuan Beng Hong, while Li Mao will probably have seniors Wong Choong Hann and Lee Tsuen Seng under his charge. The BAM secretary and general manager, Gangga Rao, said that if they were to appoint an overall chief, the person would come from their current team of national coaches. This means that besides Kim Hock, the others the BAM can consider for the post are Rashid Sidek and Teh Seu Bok, who have been assisting Misbun for the past two years, and women's doubles coach Cheah Soon Kit. “The exco members will decide on which coaching set-up to adopt and how the players' structure is going to work out,†said Gangga. “We also have to take into consideration where we will fit in the new performance director, who will be appointed by the National Sports Council (NSC).†Meanwhile, Kim Hock said that he was willing to take up the responsibilities as the overall chief. “If the BAM offer the job to me, I am ready to take it up. The current national team have a lot of promise and I will be proud to be at the helm of the coaching set-up,†he said. Kim Hock became the doubles chief coach after South Korean Park Joo-bong left at the end of 2002. Under his charge, the younger pairs have improved vastly, especially over the last one year, to give the seniors a run for their money. But what makes Kim Hock the more fancied candidate to be the overall chief is the warm and cordial relationship he enjoys with Misbun and his assistants. Kim Hock is also fluent in Mandarin and will have no communication problems with Li Mao.
Kim Hock and Rashid head national badminton team TheStar KUALA LUMPUR: Yap Kim Hock is the new supremo of the national badminton team. Yesterday, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), as expected, named former Olympic Games medallists Kim Hock and Rashid Sidek as the chief coaches of the senior and second-string sides respectively. However, the BAM did the unexpected when they gave Kim Hock and Rashid the authority to name their coaches and players for their respective programmes within the next two weeks. The 35-year-old Kim Hock will head the Project Squad 2006-2008, which will be geared towards achieving immediate results at the Doha Asian Games next year and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. The 37-year-old Rashid was named as the head of the Project Squad 2010-2012. This is a long-term plan to prepare a solid team that can win honours at the 2010 Asian Games and 2012 Olympic Games. Kim Hock was elated about being given the honour. “I agreed to take up this job not because of fame or money. I know I am capable of doing it and I am confident. This is an opportunity to prove myself.†Rashid was equally happy with the opportunity to do what he loves most. He said: “With the experiences of having trained under so many coaches before, I am confident I can carry out the tasks ahead. It is a long commitment but I am happy to work with the youngsters.†After announcing that the BAM's new coaching and training structure would be divided into two project squads with each getting a lot of focus and attention, BAM president Datuk Nadzmi said the appointments of Kim Hock and Rashid showed that the BAM had faith in local coaches. “Both Kim Hock and Rashid have coaching experience. Both have played in the Olympic Games and won medals,†said Nadzmi after an exco meeting here yesterday. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, Kim Hock won a silver medal with Cheah Soon Kit while Rashid won a bronze medal. “Being products of our system, both understand the sport, the sentiments of the people and the high expectations that come with it. They do not have to go through a learning process. They can get cracking now,†added Nadzmi. Kim Hock has a short but proven track record as a coach. “Our doubles players – Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah – managed to become world number one under Kim Hock's guidance. Unfortunately, they were not able to win a medal at the Athens Olympic Games,†And it was the failure in Athens that moved BAM to introduced the Project Squad 2010-2012. “For the first time, BAM have drawn up a long-term plan. We believe these changes are in line with our aspirations to bring back our first Olympic Games gold medal,†said the BAM president. Nadzmi said both coaches had been given the power to choose their own coaches and players. “The coaches are given sufficient authority. We are giving them the responsibility to discuss and come back with the names of coaches and players that they want. Then, we will hold them accountable. They will come back to us (the coaching and training committee) with their plans,†said Nadzmi. On whether there would be a problem in the appointment of Kim Hock as head coach ahead of more senior men like Misbun Sidek and China's Li Mao, Nadzmi brushed aside any such possibility Kim Hock, he said, had good rapport with Misbun Sidek and should not face any problem communicating in Mandarin with Li Mao. Meanwhile, Kim Hock will remain as double coach but Nadzmi said, the double job would not be too much for him. “Unlike in the past, the chief coaches will not be dumped with a lot of paperwork. We will have a full-time manager to help them. It will be a team effort.†Nadzmi, however, was clear about what he expected from his newly-appointed chief coaches. “They may be young but I hope they will rise to the occasion. Of course, mistakes will be made. But they must learnt from them and not repeat it again an again. €œThat, I cannot tolerate.â€
