KUALA LUMPUR – The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) is tight-lipped over Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah’s future, despite Scoop’s report over the weekend that the Olympic semi-finalists are likely to remain under the national body after this week’s Thailand Open.
Secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh declined to confirm or deny if the world number four women’s doubles pair were indeed ready to sign new contracts with BAM.
“No comment at the moment, as I’ve not heard anything yet except from the media,” said Kenny when met at the National Sports Awards yesterday.
“But if it’s true, then let’s see, because as the deputy president Datuk V. Subramaniam has said, as soon as we have the time (after the Thailand Open) we will have the discussion with them.”
Asked if this could be seen as a positive development for BAM, Kenny replied: “Let’s see, let’s see, let’s have that discussion.”
Kenny had attended the awards ceremony to receive the National Sportsman Award on behalf of two-time Olympic bronze medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who are also currently competing in Bangkok.
On Sunday, Scoop quoted a highly placed source close to the negotiations as saying that Pearly and Thinaah were prepared to remain with BAM and sign new deals upon returning from the tournament.
The 2022 French Open champions and Paris 2024 semi-finalists have been in a contract standoff with BAM in recent months, with sources revealing that they had sought salaries on par with the national body’s top earners – reportedly RM2 million a year.
Despite this, insiders believe the pair have now reconsidered, seeing value in the support structure and resources provided by BAM.
The latest development comes just days after the appointment of Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz as BAM’s new president.
Deputy president Subramaniam had also confirmed the association’s plans to disclose player earnings and hold athletes accountable for underperformance under revamped contract terms. – May 14, 2025