Fajar/Rian Prioritize Four Important Tournaments Before The 2024 Paris Olympics

JAKARTA - Men's doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto prioritized four important tournaments ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The four tournaments they want to pursue are the 2024 Badminton Asia Championship (BAC), Thomas & Uber Cup 2024, Singapore Open 2024, and Indonesia Open 2024. The first two tournaments take place this month, the rest in May and June 2024.

"We discussed with the coach that there are many tournaments, but we don't want to join everyone because we want to maintain peak performance," Fajar said at the Indonesia Open 2024 press conference.

The 2024 BAC is the only remaining tournament that is included in the qualifying count for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, the Thomas & Uber Cup 2024, which is a team event, can be a preparation for players to go to Paris later.

Then, the Singapore Open and Indonesia Open 2024 are two major tournaments left before the Paris Olympics. The two events have Super 750 and Super 1000 BWF levels.

The two agendas are not included in the calculation of qualifying points for Paris. However, the large number of points will boost the position of players, especially Fajar/Rian who are pursuing the seed at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"At (the tournaments) we want to show our best. When we talk about the target rankings, we want the 2024 Paris Olympics to be in fourth place. Currently we are still in seventh place," said Fajar.

In addition to the four tournaments above, there are actually two other tournaments that have a Super 500 BWF level. The two tournaments are Thailand Open and Malaysia Masters 2024.

However, Fajar/Rian may be less likely to appear in the event which will take place in May 2024. They can miss there and prepare to welcome the 2024 Indonesia Open.

The Indonesia Open 2024 is one of the tournaments that is included in the target of winning for Fajar/Rian. The reason is, the world's former one pair have never won the title there.