Letty's contract impasse has dragged on for too long, Lee Chong Wei: It may have a negative impact on the Malaysian national feather youngster

Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei said that Malaysia's number one women's doubles "Lettie" Tan Kang Lok and Tina's contract with the Malaysian Badminton Association are deadlocked, and if it is not resolved, it will send the wrong message to Malaysia's young badminton players. The contract turmoil of the Letty group has not yet been finalized since it was first revealed by the media two months ago.

Lee Chong Wei believes that the contract issue between Tan Kangle and Tiffi and the Malaysian Badminton Association will have a negative impact on the young players of the Malaysian national team.

Former world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei recently admitted to the online media "SCOOP" that the repeated delays in the contract of the Letty team have become a bad example, and may also have a negative impact on the young players of the Malaysian national badminton team who train at the Malaysian Badminton Academy.

or have a negative impact on the Malaysian youngsters. Three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei said: "I agree that if this incident drags on for too long, it will be a bad example, because Tan Kang Lok and Tina are already the same figures in Malaysian badminton as Men's Doubles Chia Ting Feng and So Wei Yi and Mixed Doubles Tan Tang Kit and To Yi Wei. "The young players look to them as role models. If this drags on, what message will it send to the young players? Lee Chong Wei also did not understand why the incident had not been resolved for a long time.

The last contract expired in December last year. The current world No. 3 pair were revealed by the media in April that they were considering leaving Malaysia and becoming a free agent. It is understood that they hope to get a higher salary package to be on par with the top players of the Badminton Association, and the annual salary is expected to be about RM2 million (about 3.38 million yuan).

The Badminton Association of Malaysia later confirmed that former French Open badminton champions Letty have not signed a new contract, and their last contract expired in December 2024. It is reported that the Badminton Association proposed a new contract in January this year, and was originally scheduled to hold a final round of negotiations after the Indonesia Open Badminton Championships earlier this month. However, it is understood that the Letty pair was ready to sign during the Thailand Open Badminton Tournament last month, but there has been no further news since then.

Tan Kang Lok (left) has signed a contract with Tina and BWA Malaysia that expired in December last year, but no new contract has yet to be signed

Lee Chong Wei couldn't understand why the signing had been delayed. The 42-year-old said: "Unlike our time, today's players have the best resources. "From logistical support to equipment, the Association provides the best conditions. In addition, there are now measures such as Yang Qiaoshuang, Minister of Youth and Sports, promoting the 'Gold Medal Road' plan to give them an advantage. Now the BWF has a new president, Tengku Saifrouh, and I believe he wants the players to be treated the best. "So, what's dragging this [contract] issue on?" Lee Chong Wei, a member of the Road to Gold Programme Committee and a member of the National Sports Council, hopes that the impasse will end soon.

Lettie has the initiative. Letty has been in impressive form on the World Tour recently, winning the Thailand Badminton Super 500 Championship, reaching the semi-finals of the Malaysia Badminton Super 500 Championship, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Singapore Badminton Super 750 Championship and finishing runners-up at the Indonesia Badminton Super 1000 Championship. The pair has resumed training at the Malaysia Badminton Academy in preparation for next month's Japan Badminton Super 750 and China Badminton Super 1000 Tournaments. Now, the initiative is clearly in the hands of the players – and the Letty duo must make a decision as soon as possible.