Who can BAM court now that Choong Hann is gone?

WHEN I called national coaching director Wong Choong Hann last week to confirm if he was leaving for good, he did not deny it.

In fact, he confirmed that he had tendered his resignation; shared the news to his players and coaches and was ready to move on.

It was sad to see him go.

No one has worked as hard as Choong Hann over the last four and half years to restore some order in Malaysian badminton.

As a former No. 1 singles player, Choong Hann knew what was at stake when he took on the challenge to lead the team in November 2018.

His reputation was on the line, he had to be away from his young family often, and his mental health must have suffered, having to constantly live up to the high expectations and demands of the sport in the country.

But Choong Hann has always been a dogged fighter, even when he was on court during his playing days. He fought hard to overcome the many internal and external challenges as the badminton supremo.

He had to deal with different characters and needs of players, coaches, management, fans and sponsors.

When he was handling both the singles and doubles, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, the team won a bronze at the Sudirman Cup in Finland and Malaysia won two golds (men’s team and women’s doubles) at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Many however, wanted immediate results, especially in the singles department. But the talent was thin. A few of them rose, like Ng Tze Yong and Justin Hoh, but they lacked consistency.And now that Choong Hann has exited the set up knowing that he had done his best, the big question is – who will be his replacement?

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have a huge job in finding replacements not only for Choong Hann but also for Michelle Chai (Academy Badminton Malaysia chief executive officer) and Dr Tim Jones (high performance director).

BAM’s secretary Datuk Kenny Goh admits the difficulty in finding suitable candidates.

“I have learnt over the years that it is easy to find someone but harder to remove them. So, I would rather take time finding the right person who will suit our system,” said Kenny.

With the Olympic Games qualifying period now ongoing, it’s important to find the “right” candidate but Kenny is right – the right person is needed.

Someone totally alien to the Malaysian system could disrupt all that is in place and distract the players.

And let’s hope the one who comes in will not give up after a just a few months.

The newcomer must also be able to complement national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky and junior coaching director Datuk Misbun Sidek.

Hopefully, we will get someone of Park Joo-bong’s calibre. The Korean maestro, who has spent more than 15 years in Japan, has turned the players from the Land of Rising Sun into a fearsome bunch, and the nation shines bright in the world of badminton.

The one thing we cannot do is choose someone who does not know anything about badminton to helm the training and coaching sector, like they did with the appointment of actor-politician Hans Isaac who has been made Malaysia Stadiums Board chairman.

Who knows what drama will unfold with that “surprise” selection by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh although I hope it’s a good call.

How many times have we seen the wrong person being put in charge of a sport? Those have been a huge waste of time and money.

It’s always good to have former players like Choong Hann, Joo-bong or Rexy to manage the team – they know the heartbeat of the game.

Three-time Olympic Games silver medallist Lee Chong Wei could have been a good choice but he has already made it clear that he is not ready to step up.

Are there any other former players – here or abroad – ready to give it a shot?