SEPANG: Men's doubles ace Soh Wooi Yik has made it clear that he intends to continue playing with Aaron Chia as they focus on reaching the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
But Wooi Yik was non-committal when asked whether he would consider leaving the national set-up in order to maintain the partnership for their next quest by simply saying: “I don’t know.”
The duo returned home on Tuesday (Aug 25) after winning silver at the World Championships in New Delhi last week and are set to discuss their future with the coaching team before making a decision.
Wooi Yik and Aaron will be 30 and 31 respectively by the time the Los Angeles Olympics are held, and both are determined to make the most of the remaining years of their careers, knowing their time at the highest level will not last forever.
With that in mind, Wooi Yik made no secret of his desire to continue playing with Aaron, his partner of almost a decade.
“For now, we will first see what BAM and the coaches have planned. Of course, Aaron and I hope we can stay together, but if their plans do not align with ours, then we will have to discuss what comes next.
“Personally, I don’t think I have many years left in my career, so I have to consider the options available to me and make a decision if there are any changes.
“I still need to have further discussions with the coaches about our future direction. I probably have another two years or so left, so when the time comes, I will make the decision that I feel is best for me," said Wooi Yik.
Aaron-Wooi Yik proved they are still Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pair after taking silver at the World Championships, where they lost to China’s Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the final.
The result also completed their collection of medals at the world meet after they made history by becoming Malaysia’s first world champions in Tokyo in 2022 before taking bronze in Copenhagen a year later.
However, leaving BAM would not be easy as they are contracted to the national body until 2028.
Any decision to walk away could see them facing a hefty compensation bill and the possibility of being barred from competing in international tournaments.
At the same time, Wooi Yik also revealed that he only found out at the last minute that he had been left out of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games squad, with no discussion held with him beforehand.
However, he does not want to make an issue out of the decision and said he accepts whatever is decided by the coaching team.
“Of course, I only found out at the last minute. There was no discussion beforehand.
“But I can accept it. I’m a senior now and everyone deserves a chance to play. It doesn’t matter who plays, I’m okay with it.
“Whatever opportunity I’m given now, I will continue to fight for it. There have been many changes over the past few months, so that’s why I said I will decide on my future.
“We’ll see how it goes and discuss it with the coach,” added Wooi Yik.
For the Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have selected Aaron-Tee Kai Wun alongside independent pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
Men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi had earlier explained that Wooi Yik was left out as he had already been paired with Man Wei Chong, who was still recovering from a knee injury when BAM had to submit their entries to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) before the July 1 deadline.
