Divine Intervention: Inaugural Visit

I made my first attempt to visit the Bukit Jalil sports center to watch the BWF Series Malaysia Open 2011 Semi Finals match yesterday. Due to the invitation from my friend, Kenny and along with few of his friends, off we went. Of course I were pretty excited, even during the day before as I was anticipating an exhilarating grueling match between Chong Wei and Lin Dan but ended up Lin Dan conceded a walkover to his team-mate, Chen Long. Pure disappointment!

My first view of the place was not much of a surprise – typical Malaysian sports complex designs. When I got nearer I witnessed several stalls selling food and stuffs, as well as displays of Proton vehicles along the corridor. Maybe I sound a little “kampung” but it was my foremost visit, certainly feeling fresh to the surrounding. Then the entrance into the stadium saw strings of stalls selling badminton stuffs like Yonex shirts, shoes and stuff. Oh, I even bumped into a friend of mine, Ivan, working and promoting Yonex goods.

We managed to book a pretty strategic location and later on, the superb Malaysian badminton fans, the group of supporters who are often seen to support Malaysian players with their Malaysian flag clothing, were seated just right next to us. Their cheers along with their kompang beatings were torturing my ears but it was the source of enjoyment for the entire stadium.

The first few matches were rather boring – the women being dominated by Chinese. The Danish mixed doubles player, Fischer was injured halfway during his match against China hence decided to put it off. The match between Taufik and Simon was also entertaining with Taufik proving to be the better senior, more superior in both the skills and experience. Later on the Danish men’s doubles pair threw two of their racquets to the spectators. Of course I wasn’t the lucky one – too bad! L Even the match between Chong Wei and Chen Long did not create much sparks. Probably because Chen Long was way too inexperienced, Chong Wei got hold of the game from the first to the last point, killing his opponent in just 39 minutes. But I’d give my utter salutation to Chong Wei for his terrific playing skills – watching him right in front of my eyes were simply awesome!

Although I was looking forward to more exciting matches with players like Markis Kido, Lee Yong Dae, Lin Dan, Fu Hai Feng and Koo Kien Keat, I was quite satisfied and enjoyed myself to the fullest – definitely worth my 25 bucks. If there are any upcoming tournaments and I had the chance to watch live, I wouldn’t hesitate to spare my time and money! J

But one of the greatest issues that I’ve come to observe is the amalgamated spirit of all Malaysians, waiting patiently for the emergence of Chong Wei. They were so enthralled into supporting him, especially the supporting team. Regardless of the races, color skin or languages you speak, everyone was united to cheer for the sole Malaysian.

In the course of my visit, I managed to made several new friends such as Elizabeth and Jared.