KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — National men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Chia says he is open to pairing with any player in his bid to deliver a gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand later this year.
Chia said the idea was realistic given that Malaysia would be fielding one of its strongest line-ups for the biennial event, capable of putting up a solid challenge.
“Yes, if we look at it, Malaysia has a higher chance this time. But we’ve also discussed with the coach about possibly trying out scratch pairings since the SEA Games don’t affect world rankings,” he told reporters after a training session at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara today.
“I think scratch pairings can work for both individual and team events,” he added.
The Paris Olympics bronze medallist will be joined by his regular partner, Soh Wooi Yik, at the Games, scheduled from December 11 to 14. However, he said any decision on pairings will ultimately be made by the coaching team.
Chia added that experimenting with scratch pairings could inject an element of surprise against opponents and serve as preparation for next year’s Thomas Cup.
“I think scratch pairings could even be stronger. You can see examples like Indonesia’s Fajar and Fikri — it can really surprise the opponents,” he said.
Malaysia last won a badminton gold medal at the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam, through Chen Tang Jie and Peck Yen Wei in the mixed doubles. At the previous edition in Cambodia, the national team returned with two silvers and four bronzes. — Bernama
