Valuable lessons have been learnt following Pearly Tan’s heartbreaking exit from the Japan Open.
So says Dr Naharuddin Hashim, the BA of Malaysia’s para-badminton, anti-doping, and medical committee chairman. He is calling for a meeting to discuss best practices involving the welfare of national shuttlers during play in future tournaments.
“Coaches at the court can advice the players to stop the game and get advice from the medical team. As for the incident involving Pearly, I’ve yet to receive the full report but I was told it’s quite serious,” said Dr Naharuddin.
“The way she played, it was clear that she was in pain. The fear is when players continue to play, they will aggravate the injury and hurt themselves even more.”
Tan and her partner, M. Thinaah, were forced to concede a walkover to South Korean pair Baek Ha-na and Lee Yu-lim in the second round of the women’s doubles event at the Japan Open on Thursday. Tan seemed to have suffered from a knee injury.
Tan, on her Instagram story, revealed that it was her decision to continue playing despite her coaches telling her not to, and hoped that her “stubbornness will not lead to any misunderstanding”.
“Pearly and Thinaah are very good and they will peak in time for the (2024) Olympics. But Pearly is pushing herself too much.
“I’ve called for a meeting soon, including with the high-performance director (Dr Tim Jones). We have to put some serious thought into this, to care for our players participating in future tournaments.
“The team manager, with the advice of the medical team, must stop the match. If a player protests against it, the team manager should still make the decision. The team manager should overrule the player.
“The accompanying medical team too, must look out for such signs during play. Their role is not just behind the scenes, but during play, as well.
“Players want to give their best and they will go all out. Sometimes, this clouds their judgment. We need to care for their welfare. This is indeed a valuable lesson that we must take note of, for us to plan ahead so that we can avoid serious injuries sustained by our players,” he added.
