Malaysia’s national badminton doubles coaching director, Rexy Mainaky, has dismissed calls for his resignation following the country’s underwhelming performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Malaysia secured only one medal—a bronze in the women’s doubles event by Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah—falling short of the coaching team’s target of at least one silver and one bronze.

The women’s doubles pair made history by becoming the first Malaysian duo in the discipline to medal at the Asian Games since Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei’s bronze in Incheon in 2014. Despite this achievement, criticism has surfaced, particularly regarding the decision to field a reconfigured men’s doubles pairing of Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun instead of maintaining the regular duo of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

Aaron and Tee were eliminated in the second round by the world number one team from South Korea, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae. Although they contributed a point during the team event quarter-finals against Indonesia, Malaysia ultimately fell 2-3 and were eliminated from medal contention. Critics questioned whether Aaron should have remained with Wooi Yik, with whom he previously won bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Rexy acknowledged the validity of some criticism but emphasized the coaching staff’s thorough evaluation process. The decision to alter pairings was based on player performance over several months leading up to the Games. He noted that while the established pairs started the season strongly, their form had declined over time, including both Aaron-Wooi Yik and Kai Wun-Man Wei Chong.

In contrast, the pair of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani showed improvement during the same period, prompting the coaching staff to experiment with different combinations in search of optimal results. Rexy stated that these changes were not arbitrary but carefully considered, aiming to maximize the team’s medal prospects.

He further highlighted that both pairs involved are “top-level players” and underscored the importance of maintaining competitive standards rather than normalizing defeats. Rexy expressed confidence in the players’ abilities, citing that after trying different combinations, they were able to produce positive outcomes, including at the recent World Championships.

Despite the pressure and public scrutiny, Rexy affirmed his commitment to continue his duties as national doubles coaching director, respecting fans’ opinions but choosing to focus on his responsibilities to the team.