PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles badminton coach James Chua has taken up a new role to coach Czech Republic badminton players, indicating his exit from the Badminton Association of Malaysia.
The New Straits Times reported that Chua will begin his new venture as the country’s badminton association national chief coach on Oct 1.
He has signed a two-year contract with the Czech Republic Badminton Association.
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“I saw the job posting on Badminton Europe recently but hesitated to apply until a friend in the Netherlands encouraged me.
“Although I’ve worked in Germany before, this stint in the Czech Republic is new for me as I’ll be the head coach,” he said.
The 45-year-old, known for his strict coaching philosophy modelled after former mentor Li Mao, did not elaborate on what prompted his resignation.
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He reportedly may have felt unsure of his position with the association’s search for new men’s singles coaches.
Prominent players in the Czech Republic are men’s singles World number 59 Jan Louda and men’s doubles pair Ondrej Kral-Adam Mendrek (ranked World number 46), who participated in this year’s Paris Olympics.
Other players also include women’s singles player World number 69 Tereza Svabikova.
