BAM secretary-general Kenny Goh says don’t rush to judge after team won only one gold in Thailand, emphasising long-term performance milestones
BANGKOK: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh has urged all parties to not rush into judgement following the national badminton team’s failure to meet its four-gold target at the SEA Games Thailand 2025, which concludes today.
Despite fielding star-studded line ups such as former 2022 men’s doubles world champion Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Aik and reigning mixed doubles world champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (pic), the badminton team ended their 2025 Thailand SEA Games campaign with one gold, two silver and six bronze medals.
Kenny, who is also the deputy Chef de Mission for the Malaysian contingent said the SEA Games Thailand 2025 outcome should not be viewed in isolation, pointing out that the national setup is guided by both short-term and long-term planning anchored on clearly defined performance milestones.
“I feel we should not rush into making judgements on the badminton squad because this is a plan structured for short and long term. We have set the milestones and one of it is actually, of course SEA Games, maybe did not achieve the milestone, but in World Tour Finals maybe can achieve the milestone.
“So, what is important is to monitor the milestone, and if they are on the milestone, it means they are on the right track,” he told reporters when summarising the national contingent’s performance at the Games, here, today.
Kenny also cautioned against overreacting to one disappointing campaign, describing such responses as counterproductive to the sport’s long-term development.
However, he acknowledged that an internal review is still necessary to understand what went wrong during the SEA Games campaign and to ensure future targets remain on track.
