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Hong Kong shuttlers prepare for tough Asian Games

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-14 13:23

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong badminton team, facing the problems of a ban and injuries, will "try for a medal" in the upcoming Asian Games in Guangzhou, the head coach said here on Wednesday.

He Yiming, officially replacing a retired Chan Chi-choi as the head coach in July, conceded during a training session that he hardly has much expectation on the Asian Games, and a medal would be a good outcome under the current circumstances.

He was the coach of the women's team when a former national player Wang Chen and a local teenager Yip Pui-yin bagged the women's singles gold and silver medal for the Hong Kong team in the Doha Games in 2006. However, it was considered as kind of a "miracle" by both He and the retired reigning champion.

As Wang Chen has become the girls' coach since April, the former world No 1 Zhou Mi would have been the leader in the team event and a big medal hope in the singles before she was banned by the World Badminton Federation by two years due to a drug test failure.

"It is obvious that without Zhou, the team event would be very difficult for us," said Wang Chen. "Moreover, there will be more pressure on Yip Pui-yin in the singles."

Yip Pui-yin

"The most important thing for me is to have my leg recovered as soon as possible," said Yip. "Like what I did in Doha, I don't expect for a medal this time either, but I believe that if I play my best in the court, the result will be good."

Hu Yun, the top-ranked Hong Kong male player, is also suffering an injury which kept him out of the media conference Wednesday noon due to a medical treatment.

According to the head coach He, the Asian Games in Guangzhou would be more like a step to the future Olympics for the young team, in which eight players out of the total 12 are Asian Games debutants.

"I won't give them kind of result target. Instead, I hope that they could relax and learn from the experience of competing with the top level players under the atmosphere of such a big event." He said.

The Hong Kong team will leave for the Denmark Open Super Series on October 24, which be their last competition before the Asian Games kicks off on November 12.