KUALA LUMPUR — Barely three weeks after parting ways, national mixed doubles players Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei have reunited.
This was confirmed by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today, following a meeting between acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam and the two players, who were believed to have fallen out after their disappointing outing at the All England last month.
“Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei will be resuming their partnership in the mixed doubles event.
“The decision follows a request from the two players and following much discussion between the coaching team and the players.
“The duo, who previously reached a career-high world ranking of number three, will now refocus their efforts on the international stage – starting with the Singapore Open (May 27–June 1) as they look to reclaim their top form,” BAM said in a statement today.
For context, Scoop first broke the news of a potential split on March 22, following the pair’s dismal All England performance and their on-court meltdown in Birmingham.
Speculation intensified when the duo were withdrawn from the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, with national coaches confirming a fallout. BAM later issued a statement on March 28 confirming the split.
Since then, several former internationals — including Datuk James Selvaraj and Chong Wei Feng — have urged the world number four pair to reconsider their decision, especially with major events such as the 2026 Asian Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon.
Speaking on Scoop’s podcast Sport Check recently, James and Wei Feng had even predicted that the duo would eventually reconcile.
Just yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh firmly told the national doubles and mixed doubles players to stay fully committed to the Road to Gold (RTG) programme. She stressed that government investment is focused on the pairings as units, and not individual players, and warned against making unilateral decisions to split.
Despite the decision to reunite, Tang Jie and Ee Wei will continue to compete with scratch partners Chan Wen Tse and Loo Bing Kun, respectively, as they have already been registered for several upcoming tournaments. They will not feature together at the Super 500 Malaysia Masters next month.
They are, however, expected to show up as a duo for the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China, later this month. – April 16, 2025