Joining the 2025 Allianz Junior Badminton Tournament in Taiping, Perak, Malaysia – Steve’s Badminton Blog and Website

This blog entry is a bit different from the usual. I am going to talk about our participation in the 2025 Allianz Junior Badminton Tournament. We chose to participate in the the second leg of the tournament in another state due to Fred’s exams. It was our first tournament in another state around 350km away, and the logistics were a challenge. It was also a multi day tournament.

We began our journey on Thursday, 29th May, after school. Fred freshened up after returning from school and off we go. We pack all the badminton gear we needed, along with luggage for the multi night stay. I had the extra complexity of packing up my camera gear for the tournament. We will definitely be publishing the videos for the tournament as soon as I can.

We were greeted by the usual Malaysian traffic crawl at 4pm. The usual queue to get onto the highway from the toll plaza was already happening. This was largely due to the fact the school holidays have begun.

We had to head north from Subang as Taiping is an hour after my hometown of Ipoh.

It was going to be a long drive, nearly 4 hours long. Fred got home after a long day at school. He has to wake up at 530am to prepare for school daily, so it was understandable that he would take the long drive as an opportunity to get some sleep. I did not have that luxury however…

Sometimes, in our daily routines in life, it is always a rush. Rush to school, rush for work, rush to get work done, rush to get lunch ready for the kids, etc. I really do forget to slow down and smell the roses. It is during these times when I switch gears and focus on badminton that I get to see things from a different perspective. And, my, oh my, this is a beautiful country which I am living in.

After 3 hours on the highway, we approach our destination. It was getting dark at 7pm. In Malaysia, we set our clocks an hour later than usual. The sun rises at 7am and sets at 7pm. Other countries in the same longtitude, such as Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia, the clocks are set so that the sun rises at 6am and sets at 6pm. Malaysia is a small country but spans over 2 time zones. In order to simplify things, the country chose to set their time in such a way which makes the entire country observe the same time. This effectively meant where we live in Malaysia will always see the sun rising at 7am and setting at 7pm. In Borneo, things are more normal where the sun rises at 6am and sets at 6pm.

We reached the hotel at 8pm. I wanted to check in and freshen up before we look for dinner in either the town or the hotel. I used to travel a lot for work. I decided to stop traveling that much after Lucas was born. Traveling is exhausting and gets into life too much. I absolutely enjoy the amount of time I have with my boys nowadays.

Before headling out for dinner, I gave a call home for a quick room tour and also just to let them know we arrived safe and sound. The room is excellent, and it would be our sanctuary and place for recovery after matches.

Next morning, we arrived early at the badminton courts for registration. This tournament is the most significant junior tournament in Malaysia. And there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Everyone there was excited, some more than others.

After registration, we went into the badminton hall to check out the environment. The under-11 matches were already under way.

Fred’s matches were initially at noon, but was postponed to 2.30pm. We have a bit of time on our hands in the morning. We went off the prepare for the match, get food, water, came back a couple of hours before the match was supposed to start. That time would be used for warmup and acclimatisation. Taiping is a much warmer and humid place than where we are from. The playing conditions are going to be tough.

When the time came Fred went on to the court where he was to play the match. The entire start was done very professionally. I am seeing why this tournament is the top junior tournament in the country. Everything was set up very well. There were plenty of umpires, and the scores were updated on Tournamentsoftware, the same one used by BWF.

The matches were played in a 30 point format. This is the format which is used in most junior tournaments in Malaysia. The players would play for 15 points, then it would be an interval and they would switch sides. The player would reaches 30 points first wins it. There are no duece. Effectively, we treat it like the 15 point system with 2 matches. That is how we prepare for it in training.

Thankfully, Fred won his first match. But the heat was taking its toll on him. We retreated back to the hotel to rest, recuperate and prepare for the next day.

The overall environment where the tournament was taking place at Wintel Sports Arena in Taiping was excellent. The courts are Yonex courts, the same surface used in BWF standard tournaments.

Unfortunately our adventure here ended on the following day. Fred emerged the second day lethargic. He could not overcome that feeling and was not moving freely on court.

Despite Fred going out on the 2nd day of a 3 day tournament, this was good experience for him. The set up here is so grand, and it was quite an experience. To be not over awed by the set up is already a big step. This is a big step in helping Fred gain the tournament experience he sorely needs. Other children he plays against have been in competitions for many years at his age. He has just been actively competing since November last year. There is a lot more to do here to catch up with the best out there.

Overall, the level of badminton is good in Malaysia is very good. The U11s showcases a lot of potential. This tournament is very competitive as it allows young players from the state teams to participate. The only ones barred are those already on the national set up. The winner of the boys U15s in this leg is Darwin Yeong. He really caught my eye when he was playing. I highlighted him as the biggest threat in this tournament, and rightfully so. Great work, Darwin.

That’s it for this entry.

Until the next entry, eat well, get plenty of rest and keep the badminton going!