Kuala Lumpur: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will give top national women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah the space to consider their future carefully with the governing body.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, as contract renewal talks between both parties are ongoing, BAM acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam stated they are in no rush and respect the pair’s need to weigh their options. “I won’t set an exact timeframe (deadline for Pearly-Thinaah to sign the contract renewal) because we also give some leeway for the players to think carefully. Sometimes, players, you know, maybe they have some advice. So let them think, no harm but they are still with us, no issue on that,” he told reporters after the Malaysia Masters 2025 press conference.

Subramaniam added that BAM had always taken great care of the current world number five pair through the investments they have made over the years. He highlighted that their investment is significant, aimed at supporting the players. “Our expectation is that they will continue to stay on, play, train hard, work hard and win medals for the country,” he said.

Speculation has been rife that Pearly and Thinaah, whose contracts with BAM ended last December, plan to leave the national governing body. Meanwhile, Subramaniam mentioned it’s up to Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, the mixed doubles pair who recently parted ways, to decide whether to accept the offer of being included in the Road To Gold (RTG) programme.

Yesterday, Tang Jie and Ee Wei were among 16 athletes roped in under the RTG Programme in preparation for the Los Angeles 2028 (LA2028) Olympic Games. Last month, BAM confirmed that the Tang Jie-Ee Wei partnership would be split for upcoming tournaments based on the recommendation of the coaching panel, including doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky and mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto. The time-out for Tang Jie-Ee Wei is due to tensions between them and to give them space to resolve whatever issues that have cropped up between them.