(BERNAMA) - The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has enlisted the service of motivational speaker Datuk Lawrence Chan to help in the preparation of the national squad for the Thomas and Uber Cup qualifying next year.

BAM president Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said Chan, through his coaching, had helped Malaysia to win the Thomas Cup in 1992 and it was hoped he could pass on that expertise to the current squad.

The Malaysian national squad will also be assisted by Frederick Tan, a psychologist from Penang Sports Council to help lift the mental and physical strength of the players.

"We see a lack in team spirit and mental strength of (the) players now. We hope these two personalities would be able to empower and raise the mental and physical strength of players," Norza told reporters after chairing a BAM council meeting at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara on Saturday (Dec 9).

Chan had a hand in the mental preparation of the national squad which saw Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang deliver the winning point for Malaysia to lift the Thomas Cup in 1992.

He reminded the players to build up their fighting spirit and not to be easily awed by their opponents. "I hope (the) players would not take competition from other countries lightly. For example, in the Thomas Cup qualifying, there will be stiff competition from India, Taiwan and Hong Kong. We need to be ready for these battles," Chan said.

The Thomas Cup qualifying round will be held in Alor Setar from Feb 6 to 11 while the final round will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from May 20 to 27.