Myanmar’s badminton player, Thet Htar Thuzar, has to go through a steep road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Despite getting blasphemy from his own people, Thet Htar is determined to give the best for his country.
Thet Htar Thuzar is one of two Myanmar athletes competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Besides Thet Htar, the other Myanmar delegation that will appear at the 32nd edition of the Summer Olympics is the male shooting athlete, Ye Tun Naung.
For Thet Htar Thuzar who is currently ranked 65th in the BWF world, the road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is not easy. According to The Asahi Shimbun, Thet Htar faced strong reactions from the people of Myanmar after she announced that she would be part of the Myanmar team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Many Myanmar citizens view the participation of local athletes in the Olympics as a sign of submission to the military junta that seized power in a coup in February. Through messages on her social media, Thet Htar revealed that playing in the Olympics is one of her dreams and she hopes to make her friends smile for a while in the midst of the difficulties they face.
“I will try to be the best representative for all the people of Myanmar,” said Thet Htar Thuzar. Unfortunately, Thet Htar’s determination to make the country proud at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics did not get a good response from the people of Myanmar.
“I will not support you (at the Olympics) if you choose not to join the civil disobedience movement,” said one of them. “I’m no longer proud of you,” said another. In the midst of a strong reaction from the citizens of Myanmar, Thet Htar Thuzar and another athlete still went to Tokyo. According to Myanmar’s Ministry of Information, they left the country on July 22.
Now, Thet Htar Thuzar has realized her dream of appearing in the Olympics even though on her way she received criticism from her own people. Thet Htar, who became Myanmar’s first badminton player at the Olympics, made her debut against Indonesian women’s singles, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, in the Group M preliminary match at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, Japan, Sunday (25/7/2021).
Unfortunately, Gregoria was still too strong for Thet Htar Thuzar. Gregoria Mariska was able to beat Thet Htar with two straight games 21-11 and 21-7 in 27 minutes.
Despite the defeat, her first duel against Gregoria Mariska made Thet Htar Thuzar’s name widely known to the public. “I feel very proud to be Myanmar’s first badminton player at the Olympics. This is a great experience for me. “I just want to convey to the people who have supported me that I will do my best in the Olympics,” said Thet Htar Thuzar after the duel.
