PETALING JAYA: Welcome aboard Kenneth Jonassen.
Former singles great Datuk Lee Chong Wei has given the thumbs up on the hiring of the 50-year-old Jonassen as the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) new singles head coach.
"Well done to BAM for selecting Kenneth as the singles coach. He comes with good credentials," said Chong Wei.
"He has served Denmark for 13 years and under his tenure they have lifted the Thomas Cup and produced Olympic champion (Viktor Axelsen). He also has coached England before. His experience as a former international player and a coach will be valuable.
"The most important thing is to have a good communication with the players and I think, Kenneth is the right person to keep the team together. He was able to keep the Danish team together for 13 years."
Chong Wei has played against Jonassen during their playing days.
"He is a good player and a gentleman. In fact, I also played against his former players like Joachim Persson and Jan O Jorgensen many times. As a coach, he is good. Off court, he is friendly and shows respect," said Chong Wei.
"I believe he can work together with coach Rexy (Mainaky) and make the necessary changes in the singles department."
Chong Wei however, is not expecting immediate results.
"Give him time. He has been given a four-year contract and we can't expect results quickly. He also need good players to work with. But let's hope for stronger performances from our singles players at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
Jonassen was named as the new head coach as a replacement for Indonesian Hendrawan, whose contract was not extended.
He is the second Dane to coach the Malaysian national team after Morten Frost, who had his stint twice with BAM.
