Misbun Sidek. Lee Chong Wei. Rashid Sidek. Goh V Shem. Chan Peng Soon. Lee Zii Jia.
We could go on, but you probably already get the gist; Malaysia has many great badminton players. Run a search on any search engine for the top countries in badminton, and you’re almost sure to find Malaysia sitting comfortably on all those lists. It’s almost like the Southeast Asian country was made just for badminton. So, let’s track through how Malaysia has been able to put its feet on the throttle to reach the pinnacle of badminton as we know it today.
Malaysia’s Badminton Dominance
Badminton mightn’t be on the list of the ten most popular sports in the world today. But in Malaysia, it’s just as popular (if not more so) as Association Football or Soccer. It serves as a clear testament to the level of dedication this Southeast Asian region has for the sport. Played for competition and recreation by the old and young alike, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the country has produced players with such a high aptitude for this sport right from time. Malaysia is a strong force in badminton. It is by the trophy-laden shelf the country amassed between the 1940s and 1950s. However, Malaysia has even increased its zeal to become an uncontested authority. Here’s a brief overview of how Malaysia has dominated the badminton space from various standpoints.
Malaysia’s Impact On Badminton Olympic Games
Malaysia owns Olympics badminton. They managed to get 13 medals to amass so far in this tournament. 70% of these medals are from badminton competitions alone. Ng Boon Bee and Punch Gunalan helped the country to its first silver medal in the 1972 Munich Olympics Games (Men’s Doubles), and the accolades and laurels have flowed in since then.
Malaysia’s Impact In The Thomas Cup
Also commonly known as the World Men’s Team Championship, Malaysia has not been shy to make its dominance in this space evident. The country claimed its first championship win here in 1949. They would go on to win this tournament four different times afterward. Sadly, in recent years, this Southeast Asian country’s performance in this tournament has not been as stellar. The last time they lifted the Thomas Cup was in 1992, over three decades ago. But, they still manage to finish second or third, more often than not comfortably.
Malaysia’s Impact On Badminton Commonwealth Games
It is another competition that Malaysia has blatantly dominated. They claimed their first Commonwealth gold medal in 1998. A lull followed this. Malaysia bounced back, though. Heavily. Subsequently, they won four gold medals and one silver medal in the six competitions after.
Conclusion
Malaysia continues to show why it’s the cream of the crop in the game after game badminton. You only have to wink sometimes, and you could miss much action.
