KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Loyalty is a key quality the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) looks for in the new national men’s doubles head coach.
Its acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam said that in the search for Tan Bin Shen's replacement, they are focusing on a coach with the skills, discipline, and dedication to bring the national shuttlers to the next level.
“We are in the process (of searching for the coach); we want to get the candidate as soon as possible.
“We are also looking at many coaches to shortlist; we want to do it carefully. Of course, there are discussions among the parties concerned and we will pick the most suitable candidate," he told the press after a sponsorship extension ceremony between BAM and isotonic drink manufacturer 100PLUS today.
On Friday (December 20), BAM announced that Tan will resign on January 13 after serving the national body since December 2020.
The former international player was instrumental in raising the standard of several men's doubles pairs, including helping Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik secure Malaysia’s first-ever world title in 2022.
News reports said the 40-year-old would be joining the Hong Kong national team coaching stable under former world number one Wong Choong Hann in February, alongside fellow Malaysians Jeremy Gan and Loh Wei Sheng.
When asked about the trend of national coaches frequently seeking opportunities abroad, Subramaniam said he is unconcerned as this is a common occurrence in many countries.
“This does not mean BAM is not the right place. If that is so, why do foreign coaches come here? Everybody wants to try new experiences,” he said.
Based on the current coaching set-up, Rosman Razak is the only Malaysian head coach, guiding the women’s doubles players, while the others are foreign coaches, namely Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen (singles) and Nova Widianto of Indonesia (mixed doubles).
Among Malaysian coaches serving foreign teams are Lee Wan Wah in Japan, Wong Pei Tty in Singapore, and Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin in Ireland.
In the meantime, Subramaniam admitted that he is unaware of the rumours surrounding the potential departure of national junior men’s singles lead coach Datuk Tey Seu Bock.
— Bernama
