BADMINTON Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria had made a “u-turn” by staying on in the top post of the national badminton sports governing body.
Norza said the reconsideration was made mainly after Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh had requested him to hold the number one post last Tuesday.
“After careful consideration and in response to encouragement received from the minister as well as deliberating and discussing in length with BAM council members, I therefore decided to remain as president.
“The decision was made to ensure stability and focus during a critical phase especially in preparation for 2024 Olympics Games in Paris next year. The goal is still clear, which is to collectively work towards securing gold for Malaysia in Paris,” he told a press conference after the BAM Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur today.
Norza said as he is the Road to Gold programme co-chair with Hannah, it is important for him to remain as the BAM president due to the fact that badminton camp usually forms the majority bloc of athletes in the Olympic Games.
Norza also said BAM council members unanimously agreed to put the number one post on hold first despite he is scheduled to finish his term in 2025 before making announcement to quit from the post previously.
“Of course the focus is until Olympic Games but at the moment the council members don’t want me to specify when, so we leave it as it is. When I decided to announce (to stay on as BAM President), I got a standing ovation (from BAM Council Members), they all showed support when I wanted to continue,” he said.
Last July, Norza, announced that he would leave BAM after the Paris Olympics. However, he surprised everyone a month later by announcing his resignation at the end of this year.
Speculations about the highest position in BAM was finally answered last October after the council members unanimously agreed to appoint Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz as BAM’s new president.
Meanwhile, the Norza, who is also Olympic Council of Malaysia president, said he had already communicated with Tengku Zafrul pertaining to the matter and informed that the latter showed understanding on the current situation.
“He (Tengku Zafrul) also has the same feeling that BAM should be passed or handed over to him when the time is right,” he added.
On the other hand, BAM deputy president Datuk V. Subramaniam expressed gratitude that Mohamad Norza had decided to stay, describing him as a committed “boss” and not there merely “to warm the chair”. – Bernama, December 16, 2023.
