PETALING JAYA: Former badminton legend Datuk Foo Kok Keong (pic) is on a scouting mission.
Kok Keong, who was an important member of the 1992 Thomas Cup winning team and reached No. 1 in the world during his playing days, is out to identify talented shuttlers from Sabah and help them progress into the national team.
“I’m currently the sports ambassador for Federation of Sabah Industries and Rotary Club of Rahman Putra and I’m helping to organise local junior tournaments in Sabah and identify the potential stars,” said Kok Keong.
“I can see that there are many talented players from Kota Kinabalu aged around 12 and 13 who are training at the Sabah Badminton Association and other clubs there.
“Now, I’m trying to find out if the association will allow the players to move to Kuala Lumpur where they will stand a better chance of joining the national team,” said Kok Keong.
He pointed out that players from Sabah or Sarawak rarely succeed in the national team.
“The level is not that high in Sabah. There are more players in Kuala Lumpur and thus the competition is higher.
“The players can get quality sparring partners and improve faster. It was the same during my playing days,” explained Kok Keong.
The 60-year-old’s passion for the sport is still burning strong as he wants to play a role in improving the country’s fortunes in badminton.
“If you see, many countries are producing top players now. Even India could win the Thomas Cup last year. So, we need to increase our efforts in scouting and developing players from academies and states all over the country.
“I hope that the level of our players will go up as fast as possible.”
