KUALA LUMPUR: National coaching director Rexy Manaiky will face a tough decision when he returns from his holiday.
He must decide on a new men's doubles coaching lineup following the departures of Tan Bin Shen and Poh Chai Boon from the BA of Malaysia (BAM).
Renowned doubles coaches Mathias Boe, Herry Iman Pierngadi and Flandy Limpele are currently available after leaving their respective roles with the Indian, Indonesian, and Hong Kong BAs.
BAM confirmed on Friday that Bin Shen will not extend his contract when it expires on Jan 13, ending his tenure after five years.
During this time, he guided Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to two Olympic bronze medals (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024) and a world title in 2022.
Bin Shen will join the Hong Kong BA.
Chai Boon, who has been with BAM for 15 years, will also leave when his contract expires at the end of the month.
He has signed with Y Ying, a Chinese sports brand, and will collaborate with TRS Badminton Academy.
Despite their departures, Rexy is confident about the future, pointing to the availability of top coaches such as Boe, Herry, and Flandy.
Boe, a former world No. 1 with Carsten Mogensen, played a key role in the rise of India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty.
Under Boe's guidance, the pair won gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games, and were instrumental in India's historic Thomas Cup triumph in 2022.
Meanwhile, Herry, better known as Herry IP, ended his 25-year stint with the Indonesian national team recently.
The 62-year-old has produced several world and Olympic champions, including Tony Gunawan-Candra Wijaya and Hendra Setiawan-Markis Kido.
Flandy, who coached BAM's men's doubles team from 2020 to 2022, is credited with the rise of Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who are now ranked world No. 3.
Rexy, who will decide on the new coaching lineup after his holiday, has assured that Bin Shen's departure will not disrupt the national squad.