KUALA LUMPUR: The national badminton squad has lost another two members from the mixed doubles department following the resignations of coach Teo Kok Siang and player Yap Cheng Wen recently.
Teo's exit did not come as a surprise as former Indonesian doubles great Nova Widianto was brought in to beef up the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching setup last month.
The 32-year-old announced his resignation on social media last night.
"Today marks my last day here at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). It has been a wonderful journey with the team. It has been an honour," said Teo.
"I would like to thank (president) Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, BAM staff, coaches, players, friends as well as National Sports Institute staff for their support and guidance over the years.
"The valuable experiences I gained here will help me in my journey ahead."
As a player, Teo had won both the world and Asian junior men's doubles titles with Mak Hee Chun in 2008. He was, however, unable to replicate his success at the senior level and left the national team in 2015.
He returned to BAM as a coach two years later.
Teo is the fourth coach to quit the national squad over the last 12 months after Chan Chong Ming (women's doubles), Flandy Limpele (men's doubles) and Paulus Firman (mixed doubles).
Teo will now join forces with Rosman Razak to guide a large group of independent doubles players including his former charges Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie
Cheng Wen has also parted ways with BAM after failing to revive her career in the mixed doubles discipline.
Cheng Wen, who turns 28 on Wednesday, is expected to turn professional.
"I've been at BAM since I was 13 years old. It's was not an easy decision but I have decided to take my career in a different direction," said Cheng Wen.
Cheng Wen had previously formed a decent women's doubles partnership with Vivian Hoo. The pair won the Macau Open Super 300 in 2018 and reached a career-high ranking of No 17.
Vivian, however, left the national team in 2021.
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