KUALA LUMPUR: The BA of Malaysia (BAM) remain committed to building a leaner and meaner national squad despite the departure of several top players.
BAM president, Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria, when contacted today, said this is in line with the national body's strategic plan ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Earlier this week, Malaysia's top mixed doubles, Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying dropped a bombshell when they quit the national team, and the grapevine has it that fellow 2016 Rio Olympic Games silver medallists, Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong are set to follow suit.
While admitting he has yet to speak to the troubled pair about their intention to leave, Norza said BAM will not stop them.
“It was made clear since the start that BAM is moving towards building a leaner and meaner squad with younger players.
“As I have mentioned before, the case of Peng Soon-Liu Ying is similar to that of Iskandar (Zulkarnain Zainuddin). Their goal is to qualify for the Olympics in 2020 but they wish to do it their own way.
“At BAM, we want players to have that opportunity. We let them go, if they want to.
“Either way, if the players remain under the national body and do not meet certain targets, they will still be dropped.
“So instead of leaving on a sour note, we want to give players the opportunity to decide,” said Norza.
He added that there was no reason for BAM to press the panic button, as these top players are also ageing.
Peng Soon is 30, while Liu Ying, V Shem and Wee Kiong are all 29.
“Yes, I understand that these players are Olympic medallists but if you remember, I was the C&T (Coaching and Training Committee) then.
“Now as president, I have to continue producing more Olympians. We have players like Lee Zii Jia (men's singles) and Goh Jin Wei (women's singles) that are our future,” said Norza.