KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — The country’s top women’s doubles pair, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, will continue to don the national jersey until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games after signing a new contract with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
BAM President Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz confirmed the matter but declined to disclose details of the contract agreed upon between the national governing body and the world number three pair.
It is understood that the contract was signed at 6:31 pm today, though the exact date of the agreement was not disclosed to the public.
“I would like to inform and announce that BAM and our national women’s doubles pair, Thinaah and Pearly, have reached an agreement regarding their contract issue,” he told reporters during a press conference at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara, here today.
“This is a result of constructive discussions and a shared commitment to find the best way forward for the future of national badminton. So I would like to say thank you to Thinaah and Pearly for their commitment; the negotiations have been very productive and have been very forward-looking,” he added.
Previously, the media reported that the pair has yet to sign a new contract with BAM after their previous contract expired in December last year.
Tengku Zafrul also declined to comment on media reports claiming that Pearly and Thinaah would receive a payment package of RM1 million per person annually following their new contract but stated that players who perform exceptionally well should be appropriately rewarded.
“They deserve to ask, and I never blame people who want to ask for more because I think that’s expected; it just needs negotiation and explanation.
“And again, the other thing that is important in my view is if they do better, then we should be ready to reward the players. So at least then there’s an incentive. Otherwise, there’s no incentive to do better. Of course, for the country is one thing, but to be fair, you know, it will also help,” he added.
Meanwhile, Thinaah expressed her gratitude to Tengku Zafrul for his continuous support for both of them.
“It’s not either party’s fault to prolong the whole contract; it’s just because our tournaments were already back-to-back and all, but we are really relieved that everything has come to an agreement, and yeah, we are now just looking forward,” she said.
Her partner, Pearly, added that the signing of the new contract with BAM provides them with relief to continue focusing on upcoming major tournaments, including the Japan Open and China Open 2025. — Bernama
