KUALA LUMPUR: A potential shake-up looms over the Badminton Association of Malaysia's (BAM) coaching set-up with the men's singles department under particular scrutiny.
The situation is expected to become clearer when national director Rexy Mainaky meets with BAM's top brass on Sept 24.
This crucial meeting will discuss potential changes to the coaching setup as part of early preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
All eyes are on long-serving coaches Tey Seu Bock and Hendrawan, as questions arise about whether their services will be retained or if they will be reassigned to new roles.
Their positions have been in doubt since May when BAM advertised for men's singles coaches for the national senior squad.
Rexy said today that the potential candidates have been identified.
"We'll be discussing whether we need to make changes or bring in additional coaches," he said after overseeing a national squad training session at the Malaysian Badminton Academy.
"However, this will only affect departments where we deem necessary."
Seu Bock and Hendrawan, who joined BAM in 2002 and 2009 respectively, were instrumental in Lee Chong Wei's success, including his three Olympic silver medals. However, they've struggled to elevate the men's singles department as a whole.
The duo are currently assisted by James Chua, a former Malaysia Open champion who joined in 2022.
Since Lee Zii Jia's departure to turn professional in 2022, Ng Tze Yong and Leong Jun Hao remain the only notable presences in the national team.
However, Tze Yong's progress has been hampered by a back injury, sidelining him for the entire year. Jun Hao, despite showing signs of improvement, has found it challenging to break into the world's top 20.
Twenty-year-old Justin Hoh emerges as perhaps the brightest prospect in a team that have otherwise underperformed.
Rexy also mentioned plans to reduce the number of players in both senior and junior national squads.
"If I'm not mistaken, we currently have about 70 junior players, that we plan to reduce. The senior squad has over 50 players," he explained.
The ideal number, according to Rexy, should be around 50 players for each squad.