KUALA LUMPUR: Rashid Sidek who returned to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) fold to resume his duty as the national singles coach hopes to wipe out the bitter memories of his recent spat with the national body.
The former national singles coach started ‘work’ after deciding to retract his resignation as coach 12 days after he had handed his resignation letter to BAM (Sept 19).
Rashid, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bronze medallist, had on Sept 19 tendered his resignation, citing interference from BAM’s newly-appointed Talent Management Group director Tan Aik Mong, who wished to reshuffle the national badminton training structure.
But in a twist of events, Aik Mong himself tendered his resignation when the BAM decided to return to its old training structure instead of what Aik Mong had introduced.
Rashid said his main focus would be to prepare junior and elite players for the Kuala Lumpur National Open Circuit that starts at the Cheras Badminton Stadium, today.
“My focus will be the same as before…no major changes in my duties. I will continue to train national players like before.
“As for the KL Open tomorrow, I want the elite players to prove themselves they still have the qualities to excel and become champions,” he told reporters after a training session at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
Speaking of his strained relationship with the BAM President Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Ariff, Rashid said both parties have decided to forgive and forget the incident.
At the same time, Rashid will be part of the coaching structure introduced by Tengku Mahaleel which is known as the ‘Win-Win Project’ that is aimed to increase the chances of players winning titles at the international stage. — Bernama