For any national body, the national championships is the most important event in its calendar as it is where the cream of the corp assembles in order to be crowned as the nations best in that particular sport.
Be it in football where the FA Cup or Malaysia Cup is regarded as the most coveted title, the same applies for hockey where the Tun Razak Cup is accorded as the premier hockey event for states. And the list goes on with the Agong Cup and so forth.
But try asking the blue eyed boys at the Badminton Association of Malaysia who have scheduled their National GP Finals just a day before players leave to participate in the Danish Open which is the start of three grueling weeks of battles for points towards Olympic 2012 qualification.
Some three months ago, BAM came out with a ruling ( they normally have this habit of shifting the posts when faced with a situation that leaves eggs on their face ) that all players, whether in BAM or independent must play in the local GP Circuit.
But having made that rule, it is BAM that stands accused of breaking that rule based on the number of forced withdrawals in the National GP Finals scheduled from 12th to 15th October at Stadium Juara.
World number 1, Dato Lee Chong Wei, who will be playing at the Danish Open, has qualified and according to the final list displayed at the BAM website, will play in the National GP Finals.
But why is it that some top players - the likes of Koo Kien Keat, Tan Boon Heong,Hoon Thien How, Koo Kien Keat, Goh Liu Ying, Ng Hui Lin, Ng Hui Ern, Woon Khe Wei and Lim Khim Wah withdrawn from the GP Finals.
With BAM withdrawing those players, the likes of Mohd Zakry Latif/Fairuzizuan Tazari are deprived of playing alongside their partners who played in the GP Circuit - Tan Boon Heong/Koo Kien Keat.
Now this is what you call double standards, for its okay for BAM players toi withdraw but when independent players opt to do the same, BAM makes a huff and puff about it.
So BAM, since your GP Finals is not important as you can withdraw your own players, why not you just scrap it instead of making a mockery out of it.
