BREAKING NEWS

Many may not have realized this, but the man who actually groomed Lee Chong Wei into a world beater was Li Mao.

And the Chinese coach, who severed ties with the Indonesian BA before the Olympics is in town negotiating a contract with a club, not KLRC.

Li Mao worked with Chong Wei after the latter was first identified by Morten Frost Hansen after which his skills were polished by the late Indra Gunawan.

It was Li Mao who then put the final touches to make Chong Wei a complete player before he left due to differences with BAM.

Li Mao arrived in Kuala Lumpur last week and is on the verge of signing a contract with the club, and what a boost for Independant players as thy can now seek his expertise.

The lesson learnt here is simple, unlike BAM who made such a big fanfare about resigning Park Joo Bong till it fell flat on their faces, as the Korean now stands accused of playing BAM, a club was more professional then the national body.

I had kept this news for the past week, hoping some badminton enthusiast will break the news, but this is a Christmas present to all.

Though yet to sign on the dotted line, Li Mao was said to have started training some players late last week.

MALAYSIA IN WOrLD CUP FINAL

Their achievement in making the final of the 3rd World Cup will cost the government a bundle of money.

And even if they lose to India, they are assured of incentives under the Shakam, the sports incentive scheme that is under the jurisdiction of the National Sports Council.

And the Olympic Council of Malaysia could well nominate them for the team of the year.

But above all the Minister of Youth and Sports and his merry men will be at KLIA awaiting the arrival of the team with garlands, and in the process gain vital political mileage.

The only problem is other then the fact they wear the Jalur Gemilang with pride that BAM ditched, there is nothing Malaysian about the women's team calling themselves Malaysia at the Kabbadi World Cup in Jalandhar India.

Still the event telecast live in India has put Malaysia on the world map and the Tourism Ministry could not have come up with a better way to promote Malaysia in the eyes of the Indian public.

Lets hope they win the final and at least we have a world champion besides Nocol David.

And OCM still not late to give the Women Sport Achievement award to these girls instead of an undeserving person who has no respect for the pain suffered by a person of the same gender.

THE 2013 CALENDAR

Since three persons of the MHC Competitions Committee have made baseless accusations, I hereby go one step further to expose their lack of concern towards hockey by releasing the long overdue competitions schedule for 2013.

There seems to be a tendency to hold a women's tournament similar to the men's, and this will put a heavy burden on the finances of MHC.

-Malaysian Junior Hockey League - 11th Jan – 3rd March

-Malaysian Hockey League – 22nd March – 12th May

-National Under 16 (M) – 22 March – 31st March

-National Under 16 (W) – 22 March – 31st March

-RNA Cup (W) – 15th April – 21st April

-National Under 21 (M) – 18th May – 25th May

-National Under 21 (W) – 18th May – 25th May

-MSSM (M&W) – 3rd June – 8th June

-Razak Cup – 7th September – 15th September

-National Indoor (M&W) 2nd October – 4th October

-MSN Under 16 Indoor (M&W) 7th November – 10th November

-National Under 14 (M) 18th November – 27th November

-National Under 14 (W) 18th November – 27th November

-National Veterans 28th November – 1st December

ANY RESPONSE BAM?

SUCKER PUNCH FOR BAM

The Badminton Association of Malaysia never admitted that they put money over nation as they have yet to explain the case of the missing Malaysian flag on the attire of their players.

And yet non Malaysians are proud to wear the Malaysian flag, so much so a group of Indian kabaddi players formed a Malaysian team to participate in the World Cup. Read that story below.

So while our very own Malaysian body is somewhat ashamed to wear the national flag with pride, we can see that others have no issue displaying the Jalur Gemilang with utmost pride.

So has OCM have a 45th affiliate or are these kabaddi players specially funded under the Ministry of Youth and Sports who it is learnt are he'll bent on taking over the role of funding sports in the country?

And has anyone checked on the fact that KBS is now privatizing a lot of facilities that were built and managed by NSC in the past?

So in the spirit of Christmas, will BAM and KBS come clean on this?....,Read and enjoy.

The ongoing circle Kabaddi World Cup has attracted a myriad of teams from Asia, Europe and even South America.

But the fact that the organisers have allowed a team of Indian players masquerading as a foreign team certainly does not augur well for a tournament seeking legitimacy in the sporting world.

The so-called Malaysian women’s team at the championships is made up of mainly Indian citizens who are working or studying or just visiting Malaysia. The team is not entered by either of the two recognised national kabaddi bodies in the country – Malaysia Kabaddi Federation or the Kabaddi Association of Malaysia.

It is learnt that the so-called team led by an official from Punjab had forged a letterhead of a non-existent kabaddi association in Malaysia to enter the team for the tournament.

Just how the organisers allowed such a travesty take place is beyond anyone’s reasoning. Was there no verification of players’ eligibility carried out by the organisers?

That they allowed a group of non citizens to claim they represent Malaysia and use the flag is scandalous. The Malaysian government is not likely to take this lightly as it is learnt that an official protest is expected to be made to the Indian Embassy by the kabaddi fraternity in Malaysia.

How will the Indian government react if a group of foreign students or workers decides to represent India in a major international competition without legitimate recognition?

Or will the organisers of the next edition of the World Cup bring in more illegitimate teams like this and cheat the public and themselves, just so they have many teams participating?

If the Malaysian team at the World Cup is a farce, the question that needs to be asked is whether the other teams in competition were also similarly constituted.

Circle kabaddi is not a popular form of kabaddi in Malaysia. Almost all competitions in the country are in the National (Asian) Style. While Beach Kabaddi is also played in Malaysia, Circle kabaddi is still played predominantly by Indian expatriates in Malaysia.

This is a major mismanagement by the relevant parties and must be nipped in the bud. The previous editions of the World Cup were tainted by doping and this latest bungle does not help the sport.

Perhaps the Indian Sports Ministry should look into this seriously and also ensure that the organisers and the fake team apologise to Malaysia.

Read more: http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/12/10/seeking-legitimacy-the-illegal-way/#ixzz2En6klGVG

BMW PRECISION FOR TENNIS

The BMW Malaysia National Circuit Masters 2012 is set to serve up end to end tennis action from the next generation of Malaysian tennis stars. The tournament will take place from Tuesday, 11th to Sunday,16th December 2012 at the Kompleks Tenis Tun Razak, Jalan Duta. 

The Masters competition is the culmination of all the BMW Malaysian National Circuit competition legs during the 2012 calendar year and will see Malaysian tennis’ top ranked Malaysian men and women players face off in the various Age Groups, namely Open, 16U and 14U. 

The results of this final Open Category will determine the female members eligible for the wildcard entries to the BMW Malaysian Open and also selection to other international events by Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) like the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, WJTC, SEA Games and other Regional Games. The Masters also carries the honour of being one of the LTAM’s key platforms to select the 2013 Malaysian Elite Squad.

Throughout the 2012 competition year, over 600 aspiring tennis players competed in the BMW Malaysian National Circuit 2012 which consisted of four legs of open competition with anyone over the age of 14 eligible for entry. 

A maximum of 128 male and 64 female players participated in each of the legs of the two-tier knock-out competition, competing for a prize purse of MYR 30,000 per leg. Each leg of the BMW Malaysian National Circuit also carried Malaysian ranking points to determine the player’s Malaysian ranking to qualify for this BMW Malaysia National Circuit Masters 2012. 

No stranger to the sport of tennis, the BMW Group has had a long standing involvement in the sport of tennis around the world and headlines leading events including the BMW Open in Munich, Germany. 

In Malaysia, the premium automaker is the title sponsor of the leading ladies professional event in the country, the BMW Malaysian Open, which is sanctioned by the Women’s Tennis Association and continues to drive the growth of the game at the local level. 

Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communications, BMW Group Malaysia said, “The BMW Malaysia National Circuit continues to be a clear reflection of our commitment to the sport of tennis across the full spectrum of participation levels – amateur to professional here in Malaysia. It is an authentic approach which is shared across all the sporting initiatives the BMW Group is involved in which include Golf, Motorsports and Sailing.”

Ambi added that BMW Malaysia will continue to drive the nation’s passion, awareness and acceptance of the game of tennis in the country and at the same time provide the competitive environment that will allow leading Malaysian players to continuously develop their skill and expand their experience to an international level.

BMW Group Malaysia also further announced that the premium carmaker will extend its commitment to the BMW Malaysian National Circuit with a further five legs in 2013, including the Masters. Each of the 2013 legs of the BMW Malaysian National Circuit will again carry a prize-purse of RM 30,000 and Malaysian ranking points. 

The top 16 Malaysian players will then compete against each other in the round-robin Masters to determine their Malaysian ranking and selection into the National Squad for the following year.

Malaysia’s Minister for Youth and Sports, YB Dato' Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said, “ It is gratifying to see both the LTAM and organizations like BMW working together to enhance the sport of tennis in Malaysia by providing international level tennis locally for our budding players to compete.

“The Ministry of Youth and Sports has always encouraged private and corporate organizations alike to support the development of sports in the country. It is crucial that we have enough programs in place to develop future sportsman to represent Malaysia. Tennis is now becoming a more popular sport among our youth and we already have some players that have shown tremendous potential.

With this Masters, we are really looking forward to seeing the next generation of tennis stars born and the makings of a strong solid National Squad that will do Malaysia proud.”