KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — National men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong injured his spine when fielded in the recent Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024, said Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Sports Medicine head Ooi Yu Hang.

She emphasised that it was not a recurrence of the injury he sustained at the 2024 Malaysia Open where the world number 15 suffered muscle tear in the lower back.

Yu Hang said they are monitoring Tze Yong’s reaction to the jabs given by the National Sports Institute (NSI) last week.

"It’s a different kind of injury (from the one he suffered at the Malaysian Open). The tear from the Malaysia Open is already healed. (This time) it’s related to his spine and disc. Tze Yong had the injections after last week.

"So we need to monitor (him) as suggested by the doctor from the NSI to see how he responds towards the injections in these 10 days. So, during these 10 days, we will allow Tze Yong to do some light training but the main focus will be rehabilitation (at the ABM) to strengthen the muscles,” she told reporters at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara here today.

Tze Yong, who was fielded in the BATC 2024 quarter-final clash against Singapore’s Jason Teh at the Setia City Convention Centre in Shah Alam on Friday (February 16), lasted just three minutes before retiring while trailing 1-3 in the first game. — Bernama