KUALA LUMPUR – Outgoing Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) chief executive officer (CEO) Michelle Chai expressed her hope today that her successor would have technical expertise in the sport that could match coaches and coaching directors.
Michelle, who will vacate her position on Aug 6, said it was something that she lacked during her tenure as ABM’s head.
“Expectations in badminton is very high. I felt what I wasn’t able to contribute was technical analysis. Surely I can contribute to the logical and common sense discussions, but not in technicality.
“It would be good if (the new) CEO has the expertise, so she can hold discussions on the same level as the coaching directors and have better plans and programmes. If the new CEO has these aspects, there will be added value,” she told reporters when met at the ABM today.
Michelle resigned on May 9 over the lacklustre performance of the national women’s team at the Cambodia South East Asian (SEA) Games, which culminated in their 0-3 defeat at the hands of the Philippines in the quarter-finals.
Michelle added that she would let the Road to Gold (RTG) committee decide whether her services as RTG project coordinator were still needed.
In another development, Michelle said the national men’s singles and men’s doubles shuttlers have been given medal targets for the 2023 Badminton Asia Junior Championships, which started today in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, while the ABM set a target of reaching the quarterfinals for the women’s singles, women’s doubles and team event.
Meanwhile, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said the association needed more time to look for a replacement for singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann, who resigned last month.
“We do not want to rush because we want to find the best candidate. We have discussed with all the coaches, they know their responsibilities and have quite a few tournaments to (handle). We have (assigned) the travel schedule, we will monitor them,” he said.
Choong Hann, who joined the BAM in November 2018 as a coaching director before being switched to singles coaching director, will replace fellow Malaysian, Wong Tat Meng as Hong Kong’s men’s singles coach.
Tat Meng resigned to coach national top men’s singles shuttler, Lee Zii Jia. – Bernama
