BAM president Tengku Zafrul Aziz confirmed the matter but declined to disclose details of the contract between the national governing body and the world No 3 pair.

“I would like to announce that BAM and our national women’s doubles pair, Thinaah and Pearly, have reached an agreement regarding their contract.

“This is a result of constructive discussions and a shared commitment to find the best way forward for the future of national badminton.

“So I would like to say thank you to Thinaah and Pearly for their commitment; the negotiations have been very productive and forward-looking,” Bernama reported him as saying at Akademi Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

Tengku Zafrul declined to confirm media reports claiming Pearly and Thinaah would receive RM1 million per person annually following their new contract, but said players who performed exceptionally well should be appropriately rewarded.

“They deserve to ask, and I never blame people who want to ask for more because I think that’s expected; it just needs negotiation and explanation.

“If they do better, then we should be ready to reward the players. Otherwise, there’s no incentive to do better. Of course, (doing better) for the country is one thing, but to be fair, it (incentive) will also help,” he added.

Thinaah expressed her gratitude to Tengku Zafrul for his continuous support for the pair.

“It’s not either party’s fault to prolong the whole contract negotiation; it’s just because our tournaments were back to back. We are really relieved that everything has been agreed, and we are now just looking forward to the future,” she said.

Pearly added that the new contract with BAM was a relief and they could now focus on upcoming major tournaments, including the Japan Open and China Open 2025.