PETALING JAYA: Former national shuttler Chan Peng Soon (pic) believes now is the right time for the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to form new partnerships ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
According to Peng Soon, splitting up established pairs is nothing new and has been done before.
He personally feels that breaking up top pairs can provide players with a fresh challenge while also introducing different tactical approaches that could trouble opponents.
His comments came following BAM’s decision to split up two of their leading men’s doubles pairs, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun.
Despite Aaron-Wooi Yik’s consistency in delivering results at major tournaments, the pair have not won a title since capturing the Singapore Open crown a year ago.
“Changing partners happens quite often in badminton, so it’s not really a surprise. Sometimes a new partnership can bring a fresh perspective. We’ve seen that before with Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani when they reunited and found success.
“When players are separated, they may realise how much they valued their previous partner. They might think, ‘My old partner was actually the best fit for me,’ especially if they struggle to adapt to a new combination.
“At the moment, nobody knows what will happen. Perhaps this is one of the strategies being tried. I don’t know the exact reason behind BAM’s decision to split the pairs up, whether it’s to improve results or for some other purpose.
“For me, though, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Olympics are still a long way away, so these changes don’t really affect anything major yet,” said Peng Soon.
He also believes BAM still have enough time to make further changes should the new combinations fail to produce the desired results.
Wooi Yik is set to partner Man Wei Chong at the Japan Open from July 14-19, while Aaron, who was initially slated to team up with Tee Kai Wun, could be paired with another player to enable him to compete in the China Open.
It also remains unclear whether the new partnerships will be retained for the long term, with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics qualification set to begin in May next year.
