PETALING JAYA: Badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has dismissed speculation that Kenneth Jonassen will focus solely on coaching the women’s singles squad from now on.
Chong Wei, who is also the Performance Committee chairman of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), explained that Jonassen will continue in his role as coaching director overseeing the singles department as a whole, as has always been the case.
“There is no such thing as (Jonassen being shifted to women’s singles). He remains in charge of the singles setup overall,” said Chong Wei when contacted.
Jonassen also echoed the same stance amid speculation that he had been demoted to handling only the women’s singles.
“No, I’m not (being sidelined). I’m the one making the necessary adjustments,” said Jonassen.
At present, the national women’s singles squad is being coached by Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin, who was brought in last October.
However, both Chong Wei and Jonassen acknowledged that BAM are currently in the process of revamping their existing coaching structure.
Apart from changes to the roles of several current coaches, there are also proposals to bring in new coaches to strengthen the national setup.
The decision is expected to be finalised after the BAM Council meeting on Jan 10.
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