KUALA LUMPUR – It was a premature move by Michelle Chai to resign from Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) as the chief executive officer, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
She said this is a concerning matter as the badminton players are still competing at the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
“I have spoken with Michelle, but I shall not divulge what was articulated between us.
“But what I can say is that the decision made was premature because our badminton players are still competing at the SEA Games.
“Let’s wait for everything to settle down first. The decision was made based on the women’s team’s performance, but the men’s team is still competing.
“I will make further comments only when the SEA Games have ended,” she said.
Michelle’s resignation came after the “unacceptable” 0-3 loss by the women’s team to minnows Phillippines in the team event on Monday.
It was considered a new low for the squad because they also failed to get past the quarterfinals after going down 1-3 to the host country, Vietnam in the 2021 edition, held last year.
Michelle’s resignation from ABM also begs the question of whether her role as co-coordinator of the Road to Gold (RTG), a top-up programme that focuses on providing additional support to potential Olympic medallists, would be affected.
Hannah, who co-chairs the RTG committee with Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, said any decision would have to be discussed beforehand with the committee.
“I would have to decide on Michelle’s role together with the Road to Gold committee. I cannot make the call myself.
“Each individual that we selected to be in the committee has their own experience. Michelle is equipped with international sports administrative experience.
“I will discuss this with the RTG committee before we come to any conclusion,” she added.
On the same day that Michelle decided to step down, Tim Jones was relieved of his duties from the academy as high-performance director.
The shocking news came just mere hours after the ABM media conference was held to state their commitment to being fully responsible for the women’s team’s disappointing performance.
Governing body Badminton Association of Malaysia secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said Michelle’s resignation will be brought up with the management. – The Vibes, May 11, 2023
