Men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia (right) listening to the coach Datuk Tey Seu Bock while in the training session ahead of Thomas Cup Finals at Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium in China yesterday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Datuk Tey Seu Bock is being strongly tipped for a return as the national men’s singles head coach as the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) move closer to finalising a major reshuffle of their coaching structure.
The 52-year-old is among the most experienced coaches within BAM and is currently in charge of the junior singles squad after being reassigned to the department in 2024.
He has emerged as a leading candidate to step back into the senior role as BAM press on with plans to revamp their coaching set-up.
Apart from Seu Bock, another name being linked with a return to BAM is Yeoh Kay Bin, who has been coaching Lee Zii Jia and is being considered for the junior singles role should Seu Bock return to the senior squad.
Kay Bin is currently preparing for his final assignment with Zii Jia at the Malaysian Open, which gets under way on Tuesday.
However, BAM Performance Committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei declined to engage in speculation, saying the individual to take up the position will only be announced once a decision is finalised at the BAM council meeting scheduled for Jan 10.
Chong Wei said the reshuffle is aimed at injecting fresh impetus not only into the singles set-up but across the board in a bid to further raise the standard of the national players.
He added that several new coaches have also been proposed to strengthen the existing coaching line-up.
“These structural changes are being made as BAM are now under new management and we want a fresh approach. More importantly, we hope the changes will help raise the performance of our players across all departments.
“As for the candidates, I do not want to reveal anything yet, but we have already identified the individuals we want. I prefer to make the announcement once a final decision has been made, and that will be done after the BAM council meeting this Saturday.
“As Performance Committee chairman, I want to support the coaches by giving them what they need to improve the players’ performances. I want them to have what I experienced when I was a player, receiving all the support required during training,” said Chong Wei when contacted.
At the same time, Chong Wei dismissed rumours that current national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen would be demoted and tasked solely with overseeing the women’s singles squad.
Instead, he stressed that the Danish coach will continue to perform his duties as usual by overseeing the singles department as a whole, especially with BAM having recently appointed a new women’s singles head coach, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin, in October.
“No, he remains in charge of the singles department and will continue to oversee the overall performance of the singles players, so there is no question of him being demoted or focusing only on the women’s singles,” added Chong Wei.
