Tough draw for Thai players
Thailand's badminton team faces a daunting task at the Asian Games in Doha next month after being drawn in a strong group.
The draw for the Asian Games badminton competition was held yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Professor Charoen Wattanasin, the president of the Badminton Association of Thailand (Bat), said both the men's and women's squads face a difficult challenge in Doha. "Although our team were drawn in a tough group with South Korea and Vietnam, they are luckier than the Malaysian team, who are in a group with China and Indonesia - the group of death at the Games with world-class players from both countries," said Charoen. "Our boys need to win two matches to reach the semi-finals, where they will be awarded the bronze medal. The women's team are in the same group as Hong Kong and Singapore, which Charoen admitted was a better draw than the men's team. Local ace Boonsak Ponsana, who is seeded sixth in the men's singles, is likely to meet Malaysian world No 2 Lee Chong Wei, who the Thai has lost to in all four meetings, in the quarter-finals. The team events will be contested from November 30 and the finals on December 5. The main draw in the individual categories starts from December 6, while the finals will be on December 9. The mixed doubles final will be on December 8.
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