Kien Keat - Only 'uncles' used to come watch us play, and they sometimes booed us!

At the recent Malaysia Open, Koo Kien Keat recalled a time where mostly only ‘uncles’ came to watch the matches during his era and even booed the Malaysian shuttlers when they performed badly!

The former men’s doubles ace, who now works for an event company and does some punditry in his free time, explained how times have changed from when he was playing in front of the home crowd.

“During my era, it was mostly uncles coming to watch the matches. They would usually bring their young children, some even babies.

“Now it’s mostly the younger generation who come to support the Malaysian shuttlers, who are aged 15-25. The supporting style is also so different from now and before.

“Last time, when you performed badly, the fans would sometimes boo you. Everyone was facing it, me and even my seniors. If they are booing, then I am facing not just my opponents, but thousands of home fans are also against me.

“The current generation players should be grateful of the great fan support they receive on home ground now,” Koo told Stadium Astro.

The 38-year-old also noted that while social media has become an important tool, the shuttlers should not use it to seek idolization for the wrong reasons.

“It’s easy for athletes now to become online celebrities thanks to social media. During my time, social media was not so prevalent and we never used it to gain support. Our results on the court proved it.

“It is not wrong to use social media, but you must have balance. Being idolized on social media is not the key to success, and it also has an expiry date where you cannot be popular forever,” he added.

After a disappointing outing at the Malaysia Open, the shuttlers will have a chance to make it up to the fans at the upcoming Badminton Asia Team Championships happening next month in Selangor.

The Asian team meet gets underway from Feb 13-18, and defending champions Malaysia are expected to field a strong squad that includes Lee Zii Jia and Ng Tze Yong.