Following Go Pei Kee’s recent resignation from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Stadium Astro takes a look at three high profile departures from the national association in the past.
Lee Zii Jia
Advertisement
This is the most high-profile exit when Lee tendered his resignation to the national body four years ago.
The now 27-year-old shuttler cited the immense pressure of staying a national player and coping with the regimented routine, also adding he wanted the flexibility to have a flexible training regime.
The BAM reacted strongly and banned Lee from playing in international competitions for two years, with the governing body holding the sole power to register shuttlers for competitions.
The standoff became a national issue and even required the intervention of former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri, who requested both parties to resolve the conflict amicably.
Eventually the BAM relented and rescinded the ban to the shuttler.
Goh Jin Wei
Like Lee, Goh also decided the quit the BAM.
But unlike her former team-mate, Goh wanted to leave because she was ready to quit the sport altogether and retire due to health issues after a colectomy surgery derailed her career.
But Goh then made a U-turn and decided to make a return as an independent shuttler, much to the ire of BAM who also handed her a two-year ban from international competitions.
Goh also had her ban overturned at the same time as Lee when the former Prime Minister intervened.
Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin
This was a high-profile, but not a controversial exit.
In 2024, the pair requested to the BAM to be released as they wanted to pursue a career as professional shuttlers.
BAM accepted their resignation letters and agreed to release them on September 1st that year.
To make it a sweet departure, Goh-Izzuddin won the Japan Open title in their final tournament together as national shuttlers before leaving.
