AN ISLAND-WIDE hunt is on for the best young talent in badminton.

With the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and beyond in mind, the Singapore Badminton Association has set up a special team to oversee selection and development of Singapore's YOG shuttlers.

'We are looking for talented, committed players, the best in Singapore,' said Lau Wing Cheok, head of the selection committee.

'We want anyone who's keen to represent Singapore to come forward.'

The eight-man selection committee, which will include former national players Wong Shoon Keat and Hamid Khan, have already got down to serious work.

They will be following the ongoing SBA-organised Cheers Age Group (Singles) Badminton Championships, where the best in the country usually sign up to take part.

The Cheers tournament has attracted 1,200 participants across four categories - Under-11, U-13, U-15 and U-17.

The selection committee will also track the Pilot Pen Schools Individual Badminton Championships next year.

Semi-finalists and finalists of the two competitions can expect a call from the badminton association.

Those who fail to make it to the semi-finals will not be overlooked, SBA chief Edwin Pang assured.

'Reaching the semi-finals is only a yardstick,' he said.

Invitations to others may be extended, but only at the committee's discretion.

'It's two years between now and 2010,' said Lau.

'We will continue observing other tournaments, and hold more selections if need be.'

The players who are shortlisted will take part in a round-robin selection trial around the middle of next year.

The top five players from both the boys' and girls' categories will be picked to form the YOG training squad, who will then go through training before the actual YOG squad is picked.

As there are no details on selection guidelines from the Badminton World Federation or the YOG Committee, the panel will focus on the skills levels of the players, and see if they have shown responsibility by checking on things like their attendance records.

To ensure complete fairness in the selection, a three-member Appeals Committee, headed by SBA secretary-general Tan Kian Chew, has also been formed.

In the island-wide hunt - similar to one which the Singapore Table Tennis Association started last month - the SBA hopes to find the most skilled and deserving shuttlers.

Said Lau: 'It's a step, a developmental step we have to follow to take things to the next level.'