In demand: Jeremy Gan and Loh Wei Sheng (right) have been snapped up by Hong Kong.
PETALING JAYA: Hong Kong will be a hub for Malaysian badminton coaches.
Tan Bin Shen, Jeremy Gan and Loh Wei Sheng are making their way to Hong Kong and become coaches under the charge of head coach Wong Choong Hann.
Bin Shen will cross over to his first country abroad after announcing his decision to quit as the national head coach yesterday. He has served with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) setup since 2000.
Bin Shen, whose contract with BAM ends this month, is looking forward to his new job in Hong Kong.
Bin Shen is not the only one who has been lured with lucrative offer to take up a new challenge in Hong Kong, but former international Jeremy and Wei Sheng too.
Jeremy was Malaysia’s top doubles coach before he headed to Japan. But with changes in Japan’s management, and also with supremo Park Joo-bong’s decision to leave, the path was open for Jeremy to move too.
Wei Sheng was Malaysia’s assistant singles coach before he left for Singapore. He has been snapped up too to beef up their men’s singles department.
Under Choong Hann, expect Hong Kong to rise as a strong badminton nation.
Good ol’ days: Tan Bin Shen (centre) posing with Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik after their win in the Korean Masters.
On his stint with BAM, Bin Shen said he had enjoyed coaching the men’s doubles team.
“It has been a fulfilling journey working with the men’s doubles team. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together, and I look forward to new challenges ahead.”
Under Bin Shen, former world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik enjoyed a great run.
They won their first Open title last year at the Denmark Open and bagged two bronze medals in two Olympic Games cycle – Tokyo and Paris.
He also had strengthened the other back-up pairs, and currently Malaysia have several pairs in the top 50 standing in the world.
Bin Shen has the knack of handling the players in a calm and respectful way.
Said BAM general secretary Datuk Kenny Goh: “Bin Shen has made significant contributions to Malaysian badminton, and his commitment to nurturing talent and champions has been invaluable.
“We are deeply grateful for his hard work and dedication.”
His presence in Hong Kong is expected to raise the standard of the Hong Kong team.
Meanwhile, BAM’s administrative director Michelle Chai said they wanted Bin Shen to stay on but respected his decision to move on.
“We cannot keep someone who is set to scale new challenges. We wish him all the best,” she said.
