No pressure, just fight: Zaful rallies juniors for world stage

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 2, 2026

The Badminton Association of Malaysia president Tengku Datuk Seri Zaful Abdul Aziz has encouraged the national junior team to focus on their performance without pressure as they prepare for the World Junior Championships in Cairo starting next Tuesday. With a mix of experienced and first-time international players, Malaysia aims to advance from a challenging group stage and showcase their talent on the global stage.

PETALING JAYA — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president, Tengku Datuk Seri Zaful Abdul Aziz, has urged the national junior squad to focus on giving their best without feeling undue pressure as they prepare for the World Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt, starting next Tuesday.

Zaful met with several players prior to their departure on Friday, offering encouragement and emphasizing the importance of both competing seriously and enjoying the experience. He highlighted the significance of the tournament as an opportunity for these young athletes to represent Malaysia on the global stage.

“These youngsters will carry Malaysia’s name onto the world stage,” Zaful said, noting that some team members have already made a mark at the Asian level while others will be experiencing their first international competition. “I told them one thing: go there, play your best, enjoy the experience and fly the Jalur Gemilang proudly.”

Malaysia’s contingent includes four boys’ singles players: Tiew Wei Jie, Lim Boon Le, Chong Lee Qian, and Kong Wei Xiang, who was recently part of the squad for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The girls’ singles lineup features Carine Tee, Lee Kay Xin, Teoh Sue Mei, and Saidatul Saadiah Mohamad, the Under-18 national champion from Bukit Jalil Sports School.

The team also includes Asian junior champion Zulwaqqarizal Ahmad, as well as Low Zi Yu and Genevie Lim. Additional players selected for the squad are Isyraf Hafizin Ibrahim, Shazmir Irfan Shahrul, Daniel Ling, Khashah Khairul Azlan, Iqbal Yusuf, Teh Xin Ying, Rachel Tan, Leong Hwee Ling, and Nur Aina Maisarah Hatta.

The team event is set to commence on Tuesday, with Malaysia placed in a group alongside Austria, Algeria, Turkiye, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Only the group winners will move forward to the quarter-finals. Following the team competition, the individual events will be held from October 12 to 17.

Zaful expressed confidence in the team’s potential and wished the players success, emphasizing that the entire nation will be supporting their campaign in Cairo.

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