No hasty decision on Choong Hann's replacement - BAM

KUALA LUMPUR - The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will not be hasty in finding a successor to Wong Choong Hann, who resigned as singles’ coaching director recently.

BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria conceded that it is not easy to find a coach to fill the vacancy left by Choong Hann who ended a nearly five-year tenure since November 2018 with the country's badminton governing body.

He said, most coaches will definitely be making a firm commitment to help their respective countries get into the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, with the qualification campaign going on until next April.

"Of course we are looking for a suitable approach to replace Choong Hann. It's not easy because he has been with us for the past five years, has integrated and become one of the driving forces and assets of our badminton team.

"Therefore we have to identify suitable coaches but it is not easy...Whether it is through adjusting the current structure (coaches) or hiring new people, that is still under discussion, we just cannot rush things up," he said after the selection meeting of athletes and officials to the 2022 Asian Games, here.

Regarding the replacement of Michelle Chai who resigned as Academy of Badminton Malaysia (ABM) chief executive officer, Mohamad Norza said BAM is still conducting a search to ensure that the individual is truly qualified to head ABM.

"We also appointed a headhunter agent to look from all corners of the world for individuals who can run a sports academy, especially suitable for badminton," he said.

Last month, Michelle resigned as ABM CEO following the lackluster performance of the national women's squad that was eliminated from the 2023 Sea Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Michelle at a press conference said the sudden 0-3 defeat at the hands of the Philippine women's squad in the quarter-finals at the Badminton Hall, Morodok Techo National Stadium was unacceptable and needed a solution from the management and ABM coaching teams. - BERNAMA