Pada hari ini, kami mengenang jasa Datuk Tan Yee Khan yang telah meninggalkan kita baru-baru ini pada 26 Januari 2026.
Legenda badminton negara merupakan juara dunia ketika Malaysia memenangi pingat emas di Piala Thomas 1967. Beliau dikenang terutamanya sebagai pemain beregu bersama gandingannya, mendiang Ng Boon Bee.
Pada Piala Thomas 1967, pasangan beregu tersebut memenangi perlawanan pertama mereka di peringkat akhir menentang Indonesia dengan kemenangan 15-6, 15-7. Namun, kekecohan berlaku semasa perlawanan kedua mereka, yang sepatutnya menjadi perlawanan kedua terakhir Malaysia. Setakat itu, Malaysia mendahului 4-3 dalam pusingan akhir.
Setelah memenangi set pertama 15-2 dengan penuh keyakinan, peminat Indonesia mengganggu konsentrasi pemain Malaysia dengan membuat bunyi bising dan menggunakan flash kamera semasa servis. Walaupun mereka tetap gigih, Yee Khan & Boon Bee tewas pada set kedua 13-18. Permainan akhirnya dihentikan dan Indonesia enggan meneruskan perlawanan selepas kejadian tersebut. Dengan itu, Malaysia menjulang semula Piala Thomas.
Yee Khan & Boon Bee telah merangkul banyak lagi pencapaian dalam pelbagai pertandingan termasuk juara Kejohanan Seluruh England 1965 dan 1966, pingat emas di Kejohanan Asia 1965, Sukan Asia 1962 dan 1966, dan tiga edisi Sukan SEAP, serta pingat perak di Sukan Komanwel 1966.
Pada awal 1970-an, Yee Khan beralih kepada sukan golf selepas meninggalkan dunia badminton dan berjaya memenangi kejohanan golf Malaysia pada tahun 1976. Yee Khan kembali kepada sukan pertamanya pada tahun 1982 di mana beliau membantu melatih pasukan Malaysia di Piala Thomas sebelum ditawarkan kontrak selama tiga tahun sebagai jurulatih kebangsaan dengan Persatuan Badminton Malaysia. Dalam satu temu bual ketika itu, beliau berkata bahawa tugasnya “tidak terpuji tetapi ia sukar dan mencabar”.
Semoga segala pengorbanan dan pencapaian akan sentiasa diingati serta dijadikan inspirasi kepada generasi muda dan yang akan datang.
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Today we remember Datuk Tan Yee Khan who recently left us on 26 January 2026.
The national badminton legend was a world champion when Malaysia won gold at the 1967 Thomas Cup. Primarily a doubles player, he is fondly remembered for his partnership with the late Ng Boon Bee.
At the 1967 Thomas Cup, the pair won their first match of the finals against their Indonesian opponents with a quick 15-6, 15-7. However, chaos ensued during their second and what should have been the penultimate match of the final round, where Malaysia was leading 4-3.
After confidently winning the first set 15-2, Indonesian fans became a nuisance by attempting to distract the Malaysian players with loud noises and flash photography during serve. Although they persevered, Yee Khan & Boon Bee ultimately lost the second set 13-18. Play was eventually halted and Indonesia forfeited the remaining matches, which led to Malaysia winning the Thomas Cup.
The doubles pair scooped up many more accomplishments in various competitions including winning the 1965 and 1966 All England Championships consecutively, gold medal at the 1965 Asian Championships, 1962 and 1966 Asian Games, and three editions of the SEAP Games, as well as silver at the 1966 Commonwealth Games.
In the early 1970s, Yee Khan pivoted to golf after stepping down from the badminton world, winning the Malaysian golf championship in 1976. He returned to his first love in 1982 where he helped coach the Malaysian team at the Thomas Cup before being offered a three-year contract as national coach with the Badminton Association of Malaysia. In a past interview, he said that “it was a thankless job, but a tough and challenging one”.
May all his achievements and sacrifices be remembered and become an inspiration for generations to come.
