Malaysia's men's doubles badminton team is facing a shake-up. Following a lukewarm Badminton Asia Championships, Indonesian coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is focusing on a bigger prize: the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

After a not-so-great performance at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026, Herry Iman Pierngadi made it clear that results now will be judged against a bigger goal: putting together the right teams to qualify for the Olympics.

The Indonesian tactician said that changes won't happen until after the Indonesia Open and Australia Open in June. The idea is to test, evaluate, and improve before the Olympic qualifying window opens on May 3, 2027.

"It's possible… Aaron-Wooi Yik are already secure, they are established. For the others, with Wei Chong injured, it's possible to change partners so that he can undergo rehab," said Herry IP.

"Keeping the tournament atmosphere is important... this is only temporary while waiting for Wei Chong's recovery," added the coach.

He also hinted that there might be more changes later this year. The results of the next tournaments will decide which pairs stay together and which ones are changed.

At the Olympics, each country can only send two pairs, so there isn't much room for mistakes.

Backup Pairs for Malaysia Under Pressure as Experiments Begin

Herry wants to expand his options, so experimental pairings will be used in upcoming events like the Thailand Open and Malaysia Masters.

Pairs like Wan Arif Junaidi and Yap Roy King, as well as Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing, now have more pressure to do well on the World Tour.

Recent performances have been hit or miss. During the European leg, Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing showed promise, especially when they beat Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on their way to the All England last 16 and made it to the Swiss Open quarter-finals.

On the other hand, Wan Arif and Roy King were knocked out of the BAC early.

After the World Championships in New Delhi in August, Herry plans to test more scratch pairings. The message is clear: change now or risk being left behind in the Olympic race.

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Written by

Chitrak Mukherjee

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi