KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- The removal of Kazakhstan from Group B of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship 2025 does not give the Malaysian team any advantage, according to Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
He said Malaysia would still need to win at least one tie in the group stage although it now has to contend with only Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Rexy said it is important for the national squad to be fully prepared mentally and physically to give their best on the court.
"To me, having three or four teams in a group makes no difference because we still have risks of clearing the group stage. Thinking too much about this will put pressure on the team.
“Based on my experience, we should focus on ourselves in a team event and how to motivate the team, especially when facing Hong Kong and Indonesia,” he told reporters after a national team training session here today.
According to media reports, Kazakhstan has been moved to Group C of the tournament and will face Japan and Thailand to fight for a quarter-final ticket.
The development came about after the Philippines withdrew from the championship.
Rexy does not rule out fielding scratch pairs in the tournament.
“This question always arises in a team event. All teams will consider using this strategy depending on their needs.
“We have to assess the situation first before deciding whether to field our original combinations or scratch pairs. We can only decide just before a tie,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
