KUALA LUMPUR — National men’s doubles shuttler Soh Wooi Yik said he was shocked after discovering that he had been left out of Malaysia’s squad for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, despite his recent success with long-time partner Aaron Chia.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has instead retained the new pairing of Aaron and Tee Kai Wun for the Asian Games, while professional duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have also been selected for the men’s doubles event.
Wooi Yik said he was only informed of the decision at the last minute and revealed that there had been no prior discussion with him, although he accepted the decision professionally.
“I only found out at the last minute. There was no discussion about it, but as a senior player, I accept the decision because everyone deserves an opportunity to play.
“I’m okay regardless of who gets to play. For me, the most important thing now is to continue working hard.
“There have been a lot of changes over the past few months, so as I said before, I will make a decision regarding my future.
“We will see what happens and discuss it with the coaches,” Wooi Yik told reporters upon arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today following the World Championships in New Delhi.
The decision comes just days after Aaron and Wooi Yik produced an impressive run to finish runners-up at the World Championships in India, underlining their ability as one of the world’s leading men’s doubles pairs.
However, national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said the decision to field Aaron alongside Kai Wun at the Asian Games had already been finalised and could not be changed, even after Aaron-Wooi Yik’s success in New Delhi.
Herry said the focus was now on ensuring the national squad are fully prepared for the September 19 to October 4 games before the coaching set-up reviews its plans afterwards.
“For now, our focus is on the Asian Games. The list can no longer be changed because the deadline closed on July 1, so Aaron will play with Kai Wun at the Asian Games,” he said.
Aaron and Wooi Yik won a bronze medal for Malaysia at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. – August 25, 2026