KUALA LUMPUR: Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz wants Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah to stay with the national setup.
The world No. 3 women's doubles players have yet to sign a contract with the governing body amid word that they are leaning towards an independent route in their careers.
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Tengku Zafrul, who visited the Badminton Academy of Malaysia in Bukit Kiara on Friday (June 13), has instructed BAM's management to do all they can to keep Pearly-Thinaah under their roof.
“I’ve told the management to try and get it done as soon as possible.
“It will be good to have that certainty so the players and management are not distracted by this.
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“We also need to make sure that we keep players within BAM, so I’ve asked the management to please try their best and make sure that (Pearly-Thinaah) stay,” he said when met at the academy.
Pearly-Thinaah recently made it to the Indonesian Open finals but ended their run in the Super 1000 tournament as runners-up to China’s Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning.
Zafrul added that after speaking with relevant stakeholders on the matter, it seems that the wiser choice would be for Pearly-Thinaah to stay with BAM.
"There are mixed views when it comes to this. Some feel that the players should be given the freedom to choose their path, while others worry that players might not perform well once they go independent.
"We need to assess this properly. For Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, the priority is to see players succeed, regardless of whether they are with BAM or independent, as long as they bring glory to the country," he said.
At the same time, Zafrul commended the national players and coaches for returning home with good results from recent outings, but jokingly denied that his recent presidency had anything to do with it; instead, it was the hard work of both players and coaches.
Men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik won the Singapore Open earlier this month, as well as the Thailand Open last month, and finished as runners-up to compatriots Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun at the Malaysian Masters last month as well.
"It can’t be because of me, but it does show that the coaches, especially in the doubles department, have done good work.
"The results reflect that. But in my view, there’s still plenty more to be done, especially for those handling the singles department.
"We’re pleased with what our players have achieved. I hope those competing at the Japan and China Open will continue to be consistent," he said.
