KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s top mixed doubles shuttlers, Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, will not be competing in the Thailand Open next week with their current partners, Chan Wen Tse and Loo Bing Kun, respectively.
Mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto said the decision was made to avoid overburdening the players, who are scheduled for three consecutive tournaments — the ongoing Taiwan Open, the Thailand Open (May 13–18), and the Malaysia Masters (May 20–25).
“They chose not to compete in the Thailand Open and to play in the Malaysia Masters,” Nova told reporters after a training session at Akademi Badminton Malaysia today.
Both pairs will return to action at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur.
Ee Wei and Tang Jie, formerly a regular pairing, were temporarily split in March following a performance committee decision involving coaching director Rexy Mainaky and Nova.
The move came after reported tensions between the two during the Paris 2024 Olympics, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun, 19-21, 14-21.
Their new pairings — Ee Wei with Bing Kun, and Tang Jie with Wen Tse — were introduced for a short tournament stretch including Taiwan, Thailand, and Malaysia.
However, in April, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) confirmed that Tang Jie and Ee Wei would reunite for the Singapore Open (May 27–June 1), following a mutual request and discussions with the coaching panel. — May 9, 2025