PETALING JAYA: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen believes Tan Kean Wei has given himself the “best possible chance” to grow after accepting an offer to join the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
The 19-year-old Penang-born shuttler was among four professional singles players invited for the senior talent identification (TID), but he was the only one who agreed to come on board. Jonassen made it clear he was delighted with the decision.
“Tan Kean Wei came, like some of the others, for the senior TID and he accepted our offer, which I’m extremely happy about. I believe this gives him the best possible chance for his future in badminton,” said Jonassen.
Kean Wei, who captured the national Under-21 title last year, reported for duty at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara last week and has been drafted into the BAM back-up squad.
For Jonassen, the move is part of his effort to widen the talent pool in the men’s singles squad, but those invited must also prove they have the quality and commitment required to earn their place in the national set-up.
“For me, of course it’s to make the pool bigger, but it doesn’t come without you having shown that you have the integrity and the willingness to train hard.
“So your merit on the outside doesn’t mean anything unless I see how you train on a daily basis and you show your commitment.
“So far he has proven he is able to do both and I’m really pleased with the way he has entered our training environment already,” he added.
However, the other three professionals invited back, namely Lee Jan Jireh, Ong Zhen Yi and Chua Kim Sheng, declined the offer as they have opted to remain independent players.
All three were previously part of the national set-up before being dropped in October 2024.
Jonassen explained that Kim Sheng will still feature at the Academy Badminton Malaysia, but in a different capacity as a sparring partner for the national squad.
“For Chua Kim Sheng, we’ve made an arrangement where he will come and join us as a sparring player. So he chose this option instead, which again is also a good solution for the national team. So he will join in March as a sparring player,” said Jonassen.
