PETALING JAYA: The appointment of the new Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) mixed doubles head coach will be delayed until at least after the Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4.
“We will announce the new head coach after the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games,” said national doubles coach Rexy Mainaky after a training session at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) yesterday.
“It will be a full list that includes all the head and assistant coaches.”
The squad recently lost coach Nova Widianto after he returned home due to family commitments.
The Indonesian was a key figure in guiding Chen Tang Jie and his partner Toh Ee Wei to the world title last year.
Replacing him will not be an easy task, and Rexy understands the significance of the upcoming announcement.
“A final decision has not been made as of now. Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei and I are still discussing the options,” said Rexy.
Rexy stated that Chong Wei, in his role as performance committee chairman, has placed a strong emphasis on appointing a local candidate for the position.
The recent appointments of assistant coaches Teo Kok Siang and Wong Pei Tty, both former national players, reflect that mindset.
Although he was officially scheduled to start yesterday, Kok Siang was already part of the coaching squad in Shenzhen for the ongoing China Masters.
“Since Nova’s departure, we have been short of coaches and had a packed calendar ahead,” he said.
“That is why I inquired if he was able to travel to China first for the Masters and he agreed to do so.
“Thus, his first day back was in China, where he’s in charge of Tang Jie and Cheng Su Yin.”
