KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 -- The new Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) chief faces a challenging task to live up to his role, especially to produce world champions and realise Malaysia's dream of an Olympic gold, said former great Datuk Rashid Sidek.
He said former BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria had done well in developing Malaysian badminton, and the onus is on his successor to bring more glory to the country.
“There needs to be a review to determine whether existing programmes are still relevant. If they are, continue them. If they are unlikely to go far, then change them.
“Previously, Mohamad Norza played an important role in improving badminton standards, leading to Olympic medals. He significantly contributed to enhancing players’ performances. The new president must be even better than Mohamad Norza,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after a Hari Raya Aidilfitri contribution ceremony organised by the National Athletes’ Welfare Foundation, Astro Arena, the Malaysian Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Milo.
Among the key achievements during Mohamad Norza’s two-term presidency was the success of top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who became Malaysia's first world champions in 2022 and won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
Mohamad Norza was named BAM’s honorary life president after stepping down as the BAM chief in August last year.
Yesterday, BAM announced that its board members had agreed to nominate Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz as president for the 2025-2029 term.
Acting BAM president Datuk V. Subramaniam said the election is set to take place during the association’s annual general meeting on May 10.
-- BERNAMA
