Lee Wan Wah's credentials were quickly recognised by the Nippon Badminton Association (NBA) when he was promoted from a junior coach to a senior mixed doubles coach within a year.
But it has been a frustrating 17 months for the Olympian.
The former Malaysian doubles ace joined the NBA, headed by South Korean coach Park Joo Bong, in March 2019, as a coach for their boys' team.
He was later promoted to handle the senior mixed doubles B squad last April.
But the Covid-19 pandemic has curtailed his plans as many tournaments have been cancelled. His pairs are also not training regularly due to the constant lockdowns.
Wan Wah handles World No 83 Kyohei Yamashita-Naru Shinoya, Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito, Yujiro Nishikawa-Saori Ozaki and Naoki Yamada-Moe Ikeuchi.
Former national coach Jeremy Gan handles the A team (mixed doubles).
Despite the setback, Wan Wah hopes to see two of his pairs earning a promotion to the first team before his contract expires in April next year.
"I was happy to get promoted to the senior squad, but Covid-19 has turned all my plans upside down. It has been very frustrating. I am unable to help my pairs progress in their game," said Wan Wah.
"Although the players are under a decentralised training programme, I need tournaments to gauge their level.
"However, I still hope two of my pairs will be promoted to the A squad. I hope they will be able to play in tournaments soon.
Yamashita-Naru's last international appearance was the Thailand Masters in January last year, while Nishikawa-Saori won the Swedish Open in the same month.
Midorikawa-Natsu's last tournament was the Malaysian International Challenge in November 2019, while Yamada-Moe have yet to compete outside Japan.
