KUALA LUMPUR — The Road to Gold (RTG) programme will push for joint sparring sessions between independent shuttlers and players under the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to raise competitiveness, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said today.
The BAM shuttlers under RTG are world number two Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik and world number five Man Wei Chong–Tee Kai Wun (men’s doubles), world number two Pearly Tan–M. Thinaah (women’s doubles), and world number four Chen Tang Jie–Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles).
Independent athletes under the high-performance programme include world number four Goh Sze Fei–Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (men’s doubles) and world number nine Goh Soon Huat–Shevon Lai (mixed doubles).
Hannah said discussions have already begun between RTG and BAM to create a structured training environment that allows the country’s top professionals and national players to train together more regularly.
“What I want RTG to do next — and Datuk Stuart Ramalingam has already started the discussions — is to ensure independent athletes and BAM athletes have sparring time together,” she said after witnessing an MoU signing between local sports brand PACE and the National Sports Council at Bukit Jalil today.
“If professional shuttlers don’t spar with BAM players, I feel their competitiveness will decline. So we have asked for joint training sessions for both professional and BAM athletes.”
She stressed that Malaysia already has sufficient sparring partners and should utilise them before seeking additional foreign support.
“For the Paris cycle, we approved sparring partners for RTG athletes, but actually, sparring partners already exist within the country if professional and BAM athletes cooperate,” she said.
“RTG is preparing that ecosystem now and is discussing with BAM to ensure dedicated courts are available.”
Hannah said the joint sessions would involve only RTG-listed athletes to maintain high training value among shuttlers of similar world rankings.
Asked whether differing equipment sponsors between independent and BAM players might pose challenges, she dismissed such concerns.
“This is just a training session for RTG. In the past there were issues, but things are different now,” she said.
The programme is expected to begin as early as next year, depending on athletes’ competition schedules, with many currently on a heavy run of international tournaments.
Hannah also congratulated Pearly–Thinaah on their Kumamoto Masters victory yesterday, noting that RTG had approved 15 tournaments this season for the pair, along with enhanced sports science and chiropractic support.
RTG has also approved incentive increases for selected coaches, including national doubles coach Rosman Razak, as part of efforts to narrow the salary gap between local and foreign coaches.
Hannah added that closer cooperation between BAM and the RTG secretariat, particularly through BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh, has reduced bureaucratic hurdles and strengthened support systems for athletes.
“What we want now is consistency. When they have reached number one, we need them to maintain it,” she said. – November 17, 2025