Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s World No. 5 men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, remain confident despite being drawn into the same group as the World No. 1 pair from China, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Alongside the Chinese pair, Chia/Soh will face World No. 18 Ben Lane/Sean Vendy from Great Britain, and the Canadian duo Adam Dong/Nyl Yakura in Group A.
Although Liang/Wang are expected to be the biggest threat to Chia/Soh in the fight for the top spot in Group A, the Malaysian pair have managed to win two of their eight encounters against them, including their last meeting at the Thomas Cup in May.
Only the top two pairs from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
When speaking to Malaysian media in France, Chia expressed relief at avoiding the “Group of Death,” which includes defending Olympic champions Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin from Taiwan, Denmark’s Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, Japan’s Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, China’s Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi, and the USA’s Vinson Chiu and Joshua Yuan.
“I think the draw this time is okay for us being in Group A compared to Group D, which I feel is tougher,” said Chia, currently training at the Aire Sur La Lys Sports Complex in northern France, where the Malaysian badminton squad is undergoing their final preparation phase before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 26.
Soh added that the draw has provided a clearer focus for him and Chia with just 10 days remaining before the Olympics.
Due to a ranking miscalculation by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the men’s doubles draw, which was supposed to take place last Friday alongside other categories, had to be postponed. As a result of a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision, the men’s doubles event at the Olympics will now feature 17 pairs, including the late addition of the French pair Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar.
“Now that we have seen the draw, our focus is clearer, making it easier to prepare during this final week of training in France,” said Soh. “Aaron and I will focus more on our upcoming opponents. For now, we are doing our best and enjoying our training sessions here.”
Chia also praised the choice of the final training location at the Aire Sur La Lys Sports Complex, noting it provides a quiet environment free from public disturbances, allowing the team to concentrate better on their preparations.
“The first day of training was quite good because there aren’t many people here. We can focus since it’s quite quiet, and I feel like only our (Malaysian badminton) team is training here, which helps maintain focus,” said Chia.
The badminton competition at the Paris Olympics will be held at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena, starting on July 27.
