“I need to be very clear of my job. My job is to help him improve, it is to understand him,” said Ho. “At the end of the day it is about how SBA and us work with him to improve him further.”
“(It’s) very typical when it comes to sports. When things are going well, all is well and good. But when you’re going through a rough patch, it’s always important that (national) sports associations realise that we must always be behind the players, behind the coaches,” said Ow.
“Associations can be very fast to jump on wanting to change a coach to then improve performance. But I think what is important is that we as a family must always be behind the coach. Because if we don’t support him, the players can feel it. And that is when things will not improve.”
Loh ended his title drought at the Spain Masters in March this year.
“Kelvin’s redeployment is bittersweet. He’s been a fantastic mentor and coach since I was young, and I’ll miss his guidance. However, I understand and support the association’s long-term vision,” said Loh.
“He has a proven track record of developing successful athletes, not just in terms of skills, but also in character and discipline. While I’ll miss having him by my side, I know he’s the perfect person to inspire the next generation of players. I have no doubt they’ll benefit immensely from his guidance.”
In his new role, Ho hopes to leverage the growth in the local badminton ecosystem which he believes has occurred over the past decade.
“More people are focused on badminton, there is more interest, and it is getting more competitive locally as well. It’s good for badminton in Singapore,” he said.
Ho also hopes to be able to impart his knowledge to those coming through the ranks, and with players such as Loh as role models, unearth gems for the future.
