KUALA LUMPUR – Amid the ongoing contract impasse between the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and top women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, one voice could carry significant weight — that of their former coach, Wong Pei Tty.
Back in 2019, when Thinaah had her back against the wall as a singles player, it was Pei Tty and current women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak who decided to pair her with Pearly. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now on the brink of reaching a career-high world No. 3 ranking next week, all eyes are on Pearly and Thinaah as they prepare to make a pivotal decision — to remain with BAM or go independent.
Pei Tty, one of Malaysia’s most accomplished women’s doubles players and now attached to the Singapore Sports School, believes the duo’s dream of shining at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics hinges on this very decision.
“With the full support system and sparring partners available in BAM, it’s not easy to find the same level of structure and resources outside,” Pei Tty told Scoop when contacted.
“Once you’re on your own, you have to manage many things yourself — training, travel, even treatment — and that takes up time and energy.
“As players get older, recovery becomes increasingly important and may take longer, so using time efficiently becomes critical.
“A structured programme and strong support system can make a big difference. If the support is there, I believe it’s a good decision to stay and focus on aiming for the next Olympics.”
Pei Tty and Chin Eei Hui remain the only Malaysian women’s doubles pair to have reached world No. 1, achieving the feat in 2009.
Scoop first reported in April that Pearly and Thinaah were considering going independent. It is learnt that the pair were seeking higher salary packages on par with BAM’s top earners — reportedly around RM2 million per year.
BAM later confirmed that the 2024 Paris Olympic semi-finalists were the only players yet to sign new contracts, following the expiry of their previous deals in December last year.
While the national body has stood firm on a revised offer tabled in January, Pearly and Thinaah have remained tight-lipped since the matter was brought to public attention.
However, a source close to the pair told Scoop last month that they are expected to sign new deals to remain with BAM through to the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Despite the noise, Pearly and Thinaah have stayed focused on their back-to-back World Tour tournaments — winning the Thailand Open, reaching the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters, the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open, and finishing runners-up at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 yesterday.
BAM have given the pair space to honour their tournament commitments, but a decision now appears imminent. It is understood that Pearly and Thinaah will meet with BAM this week in what could be a final round of talks.
Should they leave, they would not be the first high-profile shuttlers to do so. In 2022, men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia turned independent, followed last year by current world No. 1 men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who also left the national setup. — June 9, 2025