Olympian Dato’ Razif Sidek’s immense experience in the sport of badminton will be put to excellent use in the second forthcoming season of the Purple League.
The beneficiary of his vast experience will be the Bangsar Hawks Badminton Club which Razif will be coaching this season.
Razif, a former national coach, is the latest Olympian to join the Purple League which has also attracted many of the top players in the world for the second season.
Among the top coaches in the league are Razif’s brother, Rashid (Cheras BC), Yap Kim Hock (Klang United), Ong Ewe Hock (Serdang) and Foo Kok Keong (Kajang).
“The Purple League is the best thing to have happened to Malaysian badminton. It is the perfect avenue for the young talent to rub shoulders with the stars, both local and foreign, and pick up the finer points of the game.
“This is a great way to improve their game and build one’s badminton career,” said Razif, who won a bronze medal in the men’s doubles with his brother Jailani Sidek at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics – which was the first Olympic medal for Malaysia.
He also won the All England title with Jailani in 1982 and along the way made history as the youngest ever champion at the age of 20.
At the SEA Games, Razif is a multiple gold medallist, winning in 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1999 apart from being a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in 1982, 1986 and 1990.
The year 1992 also stands out for Razif when he captained Malaysia to win the prestigious Thomas Cup.
He was the captain of the Malaysian badminton team from 1990-1994. Razif was also the National Head Coach from 1994-1996.
“The Purple League also complements BAM’s programmes to help groom our young players and unearth new talent. This league is the perfect platform to find future champions.
“On my part, coaching the Bangsar Hawks in the Purple League is one way of repaying what I gained during my playing days. Hopefully, my knowledge and experience of playing the game at the highest level will benefit the young talent.
“It is good to see other Olympians and Malaysian greats involved in the Purple League. This augurs well for the development of the game in Malaysia,” added Razif who was inducted into the Olympic Council of Malaysia Hall of Fame in 2002 for his contributions to the game in the country.
Among the top class players who will be part of the Purple League this year are Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen, India’s K. Srikanth. P. Kashyap and RMV Gurusaidutt, Japan’s Kenichi Tago. Koreans Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyun Il.
They will be joined by Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto and Simon Santoso as well as Malaysians Dato’ Lee Chong Wei, Tan Boon Heong and Chong Wei Feng.
