Tuesday, January 10, 2012

WHAT A RIP-OFF



Take one look at that picture and guess waht was the cost of the meal, inclusive of the drinking water. And this was purchased by a legitimate journalist, not blogger, at the Stadium Putra on Day One of the Malaysian Open.

Well, its best you sit on a chair as you come to terms with the price, a whopping RM12 for that meal. And while BAM receives millions of ringgit from their sponsors, not including the astronomical sum one has to part with to purchase tickets, they just cannot seem to provide some decently priced meals for the fans and officials.

Yup, some of these BA officials will be sitting on cushioned chairs, in air conditioned environments, digging into catered food, but those who actually provide the return of investment will just have to live with part of the sponsors tag.... ROAR...the stomach I mean as paying that much for this food is daylight robbery.

Meanwhile....

Former National pair Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif/Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari, now with the Kuala Lumpur Racket Club (KLRC), made it to the main draw of the Malaysian Open Super Series after winning their qualifying match at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil here today.

The pair who quit the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) fold, took just 26 minutes to beat Taiwan's Liang Jui Wei/Liao Kuan Hao 21-13, 23-21 in straight sets.

"Our understanding is getting better. We are beginning to understand our roles better but we have to improve on our consistency," said Mohd Zakry after their match.

The pair, now under the guidance of former great Razif Sidek, will meet Indonesian pair Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan tomorrow.

Mohd Fairuzizuan said the encounter with the Indonesian pair would be a difficult one since they (Mohd Zakry-Mohd Fairuzizuan) have never beaten the top Indonesian pair.

"However, we roughly know their style of play and if we win tomorrow, we can then target for the semifinal," he said.

The duo, ranked world number 45 in the Badminton World Federation's ranking, and not expected to make the cut for the 2012 London Olympics, have targetted to win at least two titles this year - a Grand Prix Gold event and a Super Series.

Apart from Mohd Zakry-Mohd Fairuzizuan, two other men's pairs also made it to the main draw in the men's doubles, namely Mak Hee Chun/Ong Soon Hock and Ong Jian Guo/Teo Kok Siang.

Hee Chun-Soon Hock beat Rasmus Bondel/Anders Kristiansen from England 21-19, 21-14 while Jian Guo-Kok Siang had to go the distance before overcoming Thailand's Bodin Issara/Maneepong Jongjit 21-16, 15-21, 22-20 in three gruelling sets.