Failing to Qualify for World Tour Finals, Aaron Chia Blames BAM

jpnn.com, KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian men's doubles player Aaron Chia blamed the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) for his failure with Soh Wooi Yik to qualify for the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals.

Aaron argued that if the BAM allowed him to play at the 2021 Hylo Open, there was a possibility that the bronze winner of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would appear in the closing tournament of the 2021 Indonesia Badminton Festival.

However, Aaron and Soh had to bury their dream after only sitting in 9th place on the World Tour.

This is because only the eight best badminton players in each category are entitled to appear in the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals.

Aaron considered the BAM unfair because other Malaysian players such as Lee Zii Jia (men's singles) were allowed to appear at the 2021 Hylo Open.

Responding to Aaron's statement, the BAM said they had their own considerations why they did not allow the world number six double to appear.

"Yes, Aaron and Soh could qualify if they played in Germany, but the BAM has its own policy. We don't allow players to fight more than four tournaments in a row," BAM director Choong Han explained.

Choong said he was confused why Aaron complained about it because he actually knew the rules.