The recent cancellations of the Korea Open and the Chinese Taipei Open were met with disappointment by badminton lovers. But for independent players like Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie, it is much more than just disappointment as they suffered financial losses and emotional stress.
Soon Huat told The Star, “I thought we still had the Taiwan Open as an alternative after the Korea Open was called off. But now, we are left with nothing.
“It’s disappointing not just because we don’t get to compete. We’re upset because we spent so much time in getting all bookings done for the two tournaments.”
The last tournament which Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie played was the 2021 All England Championships, which was also the first time they covered expenses for themselves after being ousted from the Badminton Association of Malaysia.
“For the Korean Open, we lost in excess of RM2,000 (roughly 500 USD) to non-refundable flight tickets. Fortunately, we haven’t bought our tickets to Taiwan yet, otherwise it would incur further losses,” Soon Huat said when talking about the financial loss they suffered.
The cancellation of the tournaments might have a silver lining for the world no. 13 pair though as they are still struggling to find a proper training place in midst of the pandemic after becoming independent players. It will give them some time to prepare properly for the upcoming tournaments in Europe.
