Malaysian badminton great Tan Yee Khan has died aged 86. He won the Thomas Cup and All-England titles with partner Ng Boon Bee.
TAN Yee Khan, one of Malaysia’s top badminton doubles players in the 1960s, has died at the age of 86.
According to FMT, his son, Kenneth Tan, said that his father passed away peacefully in his sleep overnight. His carer found him at 7.30am.
Yee Khan was best known for his partnership with the late Ng Boon Bee. Together, they were part of the national squad that won the Thomas Cup in Jakarta in 1967, ending a 12-year title drought for Malaysia.
The pair also won the All-England titles in 1965 and 1966, gold medals at the Asian Games in Jakarta (1962) and Bangkok (1966), and three SEAP Games (Southeast Asian Peninsular Games) in 1961, 1965, and 1967.
Yee Khan grew up near Boon Bee in Ipoh, attending St Michael’s Institution and later working together as meter readers for the Central Electricity Board (now Tenaga Nasional).
Reflecting on those years, he said in a previous interview they were “memories which will last an eternity.”
The wake for Yee Khan will be held today and tomorrow from noon to 10pm at the Vcare Memorial Centre in Ipoh.
Final rites will take place on Wednesday at 10am at the Papan Memorial Park Crematorium.
In 2023, then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah hosted a reception to honour the 1967 Thomas Cup team.
Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah surprised them with fruitcakes she baked herself. Yee Khan, who was wheelchair-bound by then, described it as ‘something I could never have dreamed of and something you will never ever forget.’
Yee Khan retired from competitive badminton in 1969 due to back problems but later became a leading golfer in Malaysia, winning the Malaysian Amateur Golf Open in 1970, nine months after leaving badminton.
“We’re the rare breed of athletes capable of doing well in several sports,” he said.
He was inducted into the World Badminton Hall of Fame in 1998.
