KUALA LUMPUR: National paddlers can now breathe easy knowing that there will be life after retirement as they will be given a chance to become coaches.

That’s just one of the decisions taken by the Table Tennis Association of Malaysia (TTAM) during their second executive committee meeting at their office in Taman Maluri, Cheras, yesterday.

The first to benefit from such a move is top national woman player Beh Lee Wei, who has been appointed caretaker-coach-cum player from Nov 1.

This could prove to be a win-win situation for Lee Wei and TTAM as former national coach Pak Man-il’s contract expired in September.

TTAM honorary secretary Chan Foong Keong said the move was a progressive approach towards prolonging the careers of the national players.

“Lee Wei is the perfect candidate because she has the experience and knowledge. She’s been in the sport for 12 years. It was an easy choice for us and we plan to make this a viable move for all our players,” he said.

“We see this as a natural career progression and will encourage them to earn coaching badges,”

The meeting also decided that TTAM would bid to host the 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships.

Malaysia last hosted the meet in 2000, after the 1999 championships in then-known Yugoslavia fell through due to the crisis in Kosovo.

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