PETALING JAYA: Changes rarely bring immediate results in sports.
With that in mind, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary Datuk Kenny Goh has advised people not to read too much into new men’s doubles combination Soh Wooi Yik-Man Wei Chong’s first round loss at the Japan Open.
“It is too early to make judgements as it was their first tournament as a pair,” said Kenny at Stadium Titiwangsa on Thursday.
Wooi Yik-Wei Chong put up a strong fight but ultimately succumbed to Taiwan’s world No. 18 Lee Fang-jen-Lee Fang-chih, 23-21, 17-21, 16-21.
The fresh pairing is part of BAM’s recent partnership reshuffle, undertaken with the objective of boosting the nation’s prospects of securing gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Kenny endorsed the partnership shake-up plans, asserting that it was executed with a clear objective from the association and coaches.
“It was not made on a whim. BAM and the coaches mutually agreed on the vision,’’ he added.
“They (the coaches) will be closely monitoring this result and implementing improvements for the next competition.”
However, Kenny also emphasised that nothing was set in stone, as the final decision would only be made closer to the start of the Olympic qualification campaign.
“We will continue to monitor the progress and make a decision in May 2027,” said Kenny.
Wooi Yik-Wei Chong’s next opportunity to prove themselves will be at the China Open from July 21-26, where another fresh pairing from the restructuring, Aaron Chia and youngster Aaron Tai, will also be making their debut.
