Kota Kinabalu: AST badminton club are setting an example for others to follow as three of their shuttlers are to compete in three tournaments in the European circuit starting today (Wednesday).The trio led by Winson Neo with Scott Tsang and Soong Che Leong left for the continent from Bangkok on Sunday and they will be making their maiden appearance in the Polish International Open which is starting today until Sept 21.They will then take part in the 43rd RSL Czech International 2014 from September 25-28 followed by the Babolat Bulgarian International 2014 from Oct 2-5.
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The Club's head coach Tan Boon Bin said the trip is very important for the players as they will get to compete with mostly European players that he believes will only make them stronger."It is going to be a totally different scenario than they are used to compete in here and I hope they will learn from the experience so that they can improve their game even further," he said on Tuesday.
He said it is always the club's policy to groom their players not just for national tournaments but also to go one step further and make a career out of it."We believe players are not trained just for representing the states.
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They have to think about their future and the club is always trying to guide them and the participation of Winson and company in Europe hopefully will motivate them to reach new heights in their dreams.""The main reasons for us to send them there is because the opportunity is much greater there with the available leagues which offers good money for the players. This is only the starting and I would like to see them compete in more competitions there and hope one day at least one of them will catch the attention of the clubs in the continent and make a career like Beryno Wong who is currently attached to Swiss first division club team Argovia."
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Tan also disclosed that Beryno is set to join the trio in the Polish International Open and the RSL Czech International but will miss the Babolat Bulgarian International."Beryno will not be playing in the Bulgarian International as he needs to play for the club in the league.
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All four players will play in both singles and doubles with Winson partnering Scoot and Soong partnering Beryno in the competition except in Bulgaria."He added that the club will be constantly searching for sponsorship to help other potential players to compete overseas and he thanked Madam Tang who had contributed a lot in making the trio's trip possible.