Malaysia’s badminton contingents will have to wait until September 19 to learn their opponents in the men’s and women’s team events at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The official draw for the team competitions is scheduled to take place during the team managers’ meeting, one day before the badminton events commence on September 20.

Datuk Kenny Goh, secretary-general of Badminton Asia, clarified that the team event draw, which will determine matchups based on recently released team rankings, is distinct from the draw for individual events. The latter is set for September 24, following the conclusion of the team tournaments.

“The team event draw will be conducted on September 19 during the team managers’ meeting, as outlined in the Asian Games handbook,” Kenny Goh said. He also noted that seedings are determined according to the latest team rankings released just prior to the meeting.

This statement comes in response to a misleading draw that circulated on social media, suggesting Malaysia would face Hong Kong in the opening round of the men’s team event. Officials confirmed the draw has not yet occurred, and only seedings have been officially announced.

Malaysia currently holds the sixth position in the men’s team rankings. The top four seeded teams in the men’s category are Indonesia, China, Taiwan, and Japan. In the women’s team event, Malaysia is ranked seventh, with China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan occupying the seeded spots.

At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2022, Malaysia’s men’s team were eliminated in the first round by South Korea, while the women’s team did not participate. This year, both men’s and women’s teams are preparing to compete, with official matchups pending the upcoming draw.