PUTRAJAYA: No official target has been set for the national shuttlers at the World Championships in Paris next week, but those under the Road to Gold (RTG) programme will still be monitored.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who is also the RTG chairman, said that while the world meet is not part of the players’ key performance index (KPI), they are still expected to perform as the government has invested significantly in them.

Of the 13 players bound for Paris, six are in the RTG programme – 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (men’s doubles), Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women’s doubles), Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles).

“Our KPI is not tied to the World Championships but to world rankings. For RTG athletes, we have two years to evaluate their rankings, and they are being monitored by Datuk Dr. Ramlan Abdul Aziz and P. Vellapandian from the RTG committee.

“My main concern is the packed badminton calendar. I worry they may suffer from fatigue as they are constantly competing. For the RTG shuttlers, I always pray they remain injury-free because injuries would make things very difficult.

“We are monitoring them closely because whatever they need has already been provided. The RTG shuttlers lack nothing,” said Hannah.

She also reminded the players not to focus too much on potential rewards, stressing that winning medals must come first.

“When competing, don’t think too much about rewards. Even if there are none, I believe they will still give their best because the government has already invested heavily in them,” she added.

When Aaron-Wooi Yik created history by clinching the world title in 2022, they received RM300,000 in incentives from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).