KUCHING: Sarawak Badminton Association (BA) is planning to recruit another coach from China to ensure continuity for its long-term development programme.

At the moment, the two State coaches are Dwi Ariyanto from Indonesia and Wang Jing Si from China.

The development programme included preparing players for future Sukmas, said Sarawak BA president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain after presenting State colours to the Sarawak Sukma XII team at Sarawak Energy Berhad’s office in Petra Jaya here yesterday.

The players will leave for Terengganu on May 31, led by team manager Allen Wong Siew Poh.

Accompanying them are head coach Ariyanto and Wang, the assistant coach.

Aziz revealed that Sarawak BA might look into the possibility of getting another coach from China should the need arise.

Ariyanto, he added, just had his contract renewed for another two years.

“He has come up with a plan and I hope the local coaches under him will be able to make the best use of it so that one day, they can be upgraded to full-time coaches,” Aziz said.

According to him, Sarawak BA is now working with Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) to expose deserving Sarawak players to national-level training.

He said Sarawak had a few Under-14 potentials, including Anthony Lim, now training at Bukit Jalil Sports School.

Sarawak BA would be monitoring his progress very closely, Aziz said, noting that another bright U-12 prospect was Eric Jong from Miri.

On Sarawak BA’s future plans, he said a new badminton complex would be built in Petra Jaya to replace the existing training facility. The proposed complex would have a world-class hall, a hostel for outstation players, coaches and officials, a training hall, a gym, a canteen and a sports shop, among others, he added.

“This new facility will solve our problems of accommodating outstation players when they come for long-term training, and parking during major tournaments.”

Aziz also said scientific coaching approaches would be adopted by using video to analyse the players’ performances.

On the present Sukma team, he said it was a predominantly young team comprising players between 16 and 21 years old. They have been training since late 2007.

The final eight players in the boy’s category were selected from a shortlisted batch of 16. The two girls were picked from a group of five during the final selection.

Badminton is under category C — meaning Sarawak State Sports Council will only reimburse expenses incurred by Sarawak BA if the team bring home the gold medal, according to Aziz.

Malaysia has produced many world-class players, including at least two from Sarawak — James Chua and Pei Wei Chung.

“Wei Chung has been able to come back and spar with our players and I hope this will inspire our young shuttlers because he was a Sukma champion. We hope James will also return to help out,” he said.

The boy’s team comprise of Vong Xiang Wei, 19 (Kuching), Tian Ching Luk, 21, (Sibu); Teo Yu Kheng, 16 (Baram), Ting Sing Kiat, 16, Woon Kok Hong, 17, Fong Sze Soon, 17, Alexander Wong Kah Tun, 16 and Venon Liong Hong Khai, 16, all from Miri.

Ngu Kek Lim, 20 (Sibu) and Ngeing Siew Yin, 17 (Sarikei) are the two female players in the team.

Aziz said Xiang Wei had just returned from training under Rashid Sidek but he still had a lot to learn and commit wholeheartedly to the game while Ching Luk, playing in his third Sukma, would be striving to be among the top contenders.

In the last Sukma in Kedah, the Sarawak shuttlers returned home empty-handed.

In the group stage of the team events, the boys lost 0-5 to Kedah and 2-3 to Sabah but beat Perlis 5-0 to finish third while the girls lost to Selangor 5-0 but beat Johor 3-2 to place second.

In the group stage of the individual doubles, Lee Jun Chai and Ngu Kek Lim made the girls’ second round while Tchong Tze Ley and Lee Joo Yiet entered the boys’ third round.