KUALA LUMPUR: Following a review with coaches, players and psychologist Frederick Tan, BAM has decided to send men's pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik for a three-day programme in Penang.
This plan differs from the initial one, which was to send all six players (three pairs) under the Road to Gold (RTG) programme to Sarawak to prepare for the Paris Olympics in July.
BAM head of administration Michelle Chai said they are adopting a more flexible approach with the RTG players before the Olympics.
This is also to help ease the pressure of expectations.
"I once read a post by Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia) on social media... they said that everyone expected them to win gold at their last Olympics (Tokyo), and everyone they met talked about winning gold.
"However, when the tournament came, they could not perform well and were eliminated early.
"We do not want Aaron-Wooi Yik to go through the same thing; they need to be given space. They are senior players, and we do not need to tell them what to do because they definitely want it (gold) themselves.
"They must be given ample space to prepare, as each player deals with pressure differently," said Michelle.
The latest review took place after all three pairs returned from the Indonesia Open last week.
Prior to that, the players had competed in the Malaysia Masters and Singapore Open.
"We want to be more flexible and personal with these players in the next few weeks before they head to Paris.
"That is why Aaron-Wooi Yik left for Penang today (Wednesday), while Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are already back training at ABM.
"Our women's doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, meanwhile, are on a short break before they return to training as well," added Michelle.
Apart from the RTG players, the other Malaysian shuttlers who have qualified for the Paris Games are Lee Zii Jia and Goh Jin Wei, who have their own training arrangements with their independent teams.