KUALA LUMPUR – Concerned over the dip in form of national players, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has asked national singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann to find ways to strengthen the singles department.
BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria did not hide his disappointment when he said the performances of the men’s and women’s singles players have been dropping since last November.
“It’s true that the singles squad has not been doing well (after BAM let go of Akademi Badminton Malaysia). At the meeting earlier, the council members stated their disappointment with the singles department led by Choong Hann.
“Therefore, we want Choong Hann to review the situation and see how the players can regain their form. He has to inform us on his next course of action,” he told reporters after BAM’s 78th general meeting at ABM in Bukit Kiara here today.
Norza said BAM was focusing on its role as the parent body for national badminton while ABM, as a high-performance centre, would be fully managed by professionals.
“In 2022, we won the Asian Mixed Team Championships in February, while the Uber Cup squad qualified on merit. On August 28, we produced world champions through Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
“Then, we won the French Open women’s doubles title through Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah in October, apart from clinching the mixed team gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games,” he said. – Bernama, May 13, 2023
