PETALING JAYA: It will be a two-horse race for the mixed doubles coach’s post as national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky has not identified any new candidates during his two-week trip to Japan.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) high performance director Dr Tim Jones said there has been no development on the search for Paulus Firman’s successor and the tussle remains between two former national coaches – independent coach Chin Eei Hui and Singapore doubles coach Lim Pek Siah.
Eei Hui, who served as a mixed doubles coach for seven years, left BAM after her contract was not renewed at the end of 2018 while Pek Siah was the women’s doubles coach until 2019.
“Nothing new has come to light over the last few weeks. I think he’s (Rexy) got a good idea of who the candidates are now and I think it won’t take too long before the confirmation from our side,” said Jones.
“We were planning to discuss about it earlier but Rexy has been a given a week off.
“We will touch base on Friday and will take it from there.
“The start date for the coach depends on if they have got a notice period for release from their current contracts.
“We will be making an offer in the next few weeks and whoever accepts, then we can work out terms.”
Pek Siah had confirmed that her contract with the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) will end in November and is keen to return to the national badminton body.
This gives Pek Siah sufficient time of notice if she wishes to quit SBA.
Under Pek Siah, Terry Hee-Jessica Tan became Singapore’s first Commonwealth Games gold medallists in badminton.
Eei Hui was the first candidate to be approached by Rexy and she had also shown interest but remained coy as there had been no formal talk from BAM.
The independent coach is currently in charge of several professional pairs notably mixed doubles Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie as well as men’s doubles Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi and Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong and women’s doubles Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien.
The position has been vacant since Paulus’ departure at the end of April.
