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MALAYSIA is claiming that Singapore made a failed attempt to poach one of its brightest badminton talents.
Penang's Goh Jin Wei, 12, was offered a spot in the Singapore national team as well as a scholarship all the way to university, reported The Star newspaper.
The report added that the shuttler's mother was "on the verge" of agreeing to the deal, until officials from the state and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) intervened.
"We are aware of Singapore's strategy to secure foreign players to strengthen their badminton programme, but it came as a surprise that our shuttlers - Jin Wei specifically - had been approached," BAM's general manager Kenny Goh was quoted as saying.
"They are making irresistible offers. We can't stop them from doing it but we must safeguard the interests of our juniors and the nation. We know that Jin Wei has been officially approached and we don't want others to be tempted in the same way."
Jin Wei is one of Malaysia's rising stars, notching several upset wins against older opponents on the junior circuit. She is touted as a successor to 2010 Commonwealth Games singles silver medallist Wong Mew Choo.
When asked about the report yesterday, Singapore Badminton Association chief executive Bobby Lee denied that his organisation made any attempt to lure the Malaysian shuttler to Singapore.
"The SBA has never contacted the parents or their daughter," he told The Straits Times.
Singapore's national badminton squad have been augmented by the Foreign Sports Talent (FST) scheme for several years, with 11 players from the programme currently in the senior team.
But Lee had previously said that the SBA is likely to go local in the near future, citing reasons such as the high cost of living and training.
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