Well, obviously they haven't paid attention to @kwun 's comprehensive guide to badminton equipment... where shoes are the most important. http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...-guide-to-choosing-badminton-equipment.21851/ Seriously, I thought TTY is Victor sponsored? And even if she has to wear Yonex shoes, can't she just wear her usual practice pairs? She would be accustomed to those. I would never wear a new pair to play hard games with. New shoes always need a few hours of wear to accustom and break in.
Thanks a lot @SixSeven! Did she really wear Yonex shoes?! I haven't noticed that at all when watching the matches tbh. I had wondered though that she wore Yonex shirts but clearly it was a TK7000 with Victor logo in her hands. So TTY seems to be the LCW or LD amongst the Chinese Taipei team by having a different sponsor than the team. But apparently, she hasn't checked her contracts enough cause wearing the right shoes is IMO more important than using the right racket. Changing into a new pair of shoes right before a tournament? That's a big no-go even for bloody amateurs like us. And being far from taking this issue as an excuse for her loss, I guess it still has added a certain level of stress and discomfort. Keeping in mind that problems with plantar fasciitis and the surgery she had last December, the feet clearly seem to be a weak spot in her physique.
She was wearing all Victor during the Taiwan GP...and to switch during that period afterwards to Yonex leading up to Olympics.. Man o man does that suck.
It isn't just an issue for TTY. It's the same across the board for all the victor/other brand sponsored players on the Taiwanese national team. Their association is contracted to use their gear except rackets for all competitions where national representation is involved like the Olympics for example. I'm pretty sure it includes Asian Games, Sudirman Cup and TUC.
Sounds like some Taiwanese Assiciation officials deserve a good old kick up the arse for not excluding the shoes from their sponsorship deal. Having to choose between rackets and shoes, I think a vast majority of players would go for the shoes. Or at least they had to make sure that the players will have enough time to get used to them and to break them in properly before the most important tournament in the calender. I think we all know how it feels stepping on court and not feeling comfortable overall. Or worse: Having bloody blisters on your feet. Surely doesn't help to play at your best. On the other hand, looking at how PVS spanked Nozomi Okuhara yesterday, I tend to think that wearing the right shoes wouldn't have been enough for TTY to win that match.
No I agree, Sindhu was on a roll during the Olympics. If I remember correctly, there were quite a few issues posted on her Facebook account regarding the sponsorship issues. What a madness that she had to change different brands in such a short time.
New venue, new court, new conditions and Tai, Ratchanok and Nazomi will be on the roll again. Hang in guys.. Don't panic
Many of the players complained of slow flight of shuttles at Rio. This might favor certain players. We dont have Chen Long winning all the tournaments he participates, do we? - even if he wishes to win everything! Other factors are shift, drift, court conditions, humidity, court volume, personal state of well being and last but not the least footwear too (yes, i do feel it is one hell of a factor affecting a player's game).
Some interesting numbers that arises from the TTY's fiasco - The badminton association received TWD8,570,000 funding from the govt - Yonex's sponsorship to the badminton association = TWD25,000,000 They paid TWD5million tax, which means that their total income reaches at least TWD100million dollars
Actually, I don't really know what to make from these figures. Can you tell us something about the general background and content of this press conference? They are all looking so dead serious. And apart from that I find it quite strange that Victor (being a Taiwanese company) hasn't grabbed that sponsorship deal in the first place and instead let Yonex somehow poach on their own home ground.
...and another factor (although I suspect most would disagree) could be on-court attire. In TTY's match with PVS, Tai was wearing all black which I don't recall seeing her wear before. Not sure this suited her, but she may not have had any choice - anyone know how the colours of the player strips are decided at OG? smautf
Tai Tzu Ying had posted on her Facebook page that she had wanted to share some things that were on her mind with her fans, IF she had won against PV Sindhu..... However since she did not win, she said "looks like these things that were on my mind, will remain in my mind" I think perhaps this whole sponsorship mess was affecting her before she had departed for Rio? Heard something like that in a news broadcast but not entirely sure. If it was already bugging her, it wouldn't be surprising that her Rio performance seemed some what lacklustre compared to her recent performances
Victor used to sponsor the Taiwan team but I know individual players have individual sponsorship deals. Maybe Victor got priced out. Maybe Victor have put all their resources in the Korean and Malaysian teams figuring the exposure is better there.
Not only for TTY, the same situation for Sindhu as well. Official sponsor for indian players is Li ning . Until prequarterfinals, She wore it without trouble. But she carried 2 colours of Li ning dresses with her. When she was asked to change the colour in order to follow the on court rules ( because of opponent's dress colour), she checked it for li ning dresses that was available at that time with IOA . It did not fit her stature. So, she decided to wear Yonex dresses which is sponsoring her . See. Now what happened?. Lining india has gone to court it seems.
No, it's an updated version of her trusted TK7000S => see http://www.victorsport.com/product_detail_30735.html
