KUALA LUMPUR – Speculations are mounting that the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) may split national mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei following their disastrous All England campaign and on-court meltdown last week.
Adding to the uncertainty, the world number four pair have been withdrawn from next month’s Asian Championships in Ningbo, China.
Last week, after crashing out in the first round of the All England in Birmingham, Ee Wei, who appeared visibly frustrated with her partner on court, deleted all her posts on Instagram, fuelling further speculation.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei, who were first paired in late 2022, suffered a shock exit at the hands of Indonesia’s Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja, who came from behind to secure an 18-21, 22-20, 21-11 victory.
BAM has yet to confirm whether the pair will be split but has launched a post-mortem into the national squad’s poor performances in recent European tournaments, including the Super 300 Orleans Masters.
“We have initiated a post-mortem, and there are suggestions from the coaches that we need to deliberate carefully.
“Once we have made a decision, we will make an announcement,” said BAM acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam.
With less than four years to go until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, it remains to be seen whether splitting the pair now would be the right decision.
BAM, however, has a history of reshuffling pairs – either permanently or temporarily – with notable success. Examples include men’s doubles world number two Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Yap Roy King and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, as well as Tang Jie and Ee Wei themselves.
Since their partnership began, Tang Jie and Ee Wei have enjoyed respectable success, winning three World Tour titles and reaching the quarter-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, Paris Olympics men’s singles bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia has also withdrawn from next month’s Asian Championships.
Zii Jia, who was knocked out in the first round of the All England, is still recovering from an ankle injury sustained last December. – March 22, 2025
