KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — National men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Chia is open to partnering with any player at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand next month as he believes fielding scratch pairs could be the key to victory.
He said the idea was a realistic approach, given that Malaysia would be fielding their strongest squad for the biennial event.
“Yes, I think Malaysia have a better chance this time. However, we’ve also discussed with the coach the possibility of trying a scratch pair, as the SEA Games do not involve world ranking points.
“I think scratch pair combinations can work for both the individual and team events,” he told reporters after a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara today.
The Paris Olympics bronze medallist will be joined by his regular partner Soh Wooi Yik for the Games, scheduled from December 9 to 20, but the final decision on pairings rests with the coach.
Chia said the strategy of using scratch pairs could surprise opponents and also serve as preparation for next year’s Thomas Cup.
“I think scratch pairs could give us the edge. You can see how good Fajar (Alfian) and (Muhammad Shohibul) Fikri (of Indonesia) have been as a scratch pair. Maybe we can also pull off a similar surprise,” he said.
Malaysia last won a badminton gold medal at the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam through mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Peck Yen Wei.
At the last edition in Cambodia, Malaysian players won only two silver and four bronze medals. — Bernama
