Singaporean Loh Kean Yew is the first BWF Male Player of the Year nominee

The third-ranked player in the world, Loh Kean Yew, is the first Singaporean to be nominated for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Player of the Year award for 2022.

This is the first time that Loh, the 2021 world champion, has been nominated for the Male Player of the Year award, alongside reigning world champion and world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen and Asian champion and world No. 2 Lee Zii Jia.

The BWF announced on Monday, November 28 that the nominees were chosen based on their performances during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, from November 1, 2021 to October 31, 2022.

The winner will be announced at the BWF World Tour Finals gala dinner in Bangkok on December 5, only days before Loh competes in the season-ending World Tour Finals from December 7 to 11.

This year’s World Tour Finals will be Loh’s debut appearance at the renowned competition, making him the first Singaporean to compete in the event, which features the current top-eight singles and doubles players.

Axelsen, who has won seven BWF World Tour Titles, including last year’s World Tour Finals, is the favorite to win the honor.

Earlier this month, the badminton sensation was also crowned Sportsman of the Year for the first time at the annual Singapore Sports Awards gala.