KUALA LUMPUR – The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have extended their partnership with the Ehime prefecture, which is located in the south of Japan.
BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said the partnership, which began in July 2018, had had a positive impact and would benefit the national senior and youth players when they undergo training stints in the prefecture.
“Today is historic as we continue this partnership between BAM and Ehime to further develop the sport in both countries. It is a win-win relationship for us. Aside from being an amazing tourist destination, Ehime is a conducive location as a developing sports city,” he said in a statement.
Mohamad Norza was also thankful to Ehime Governor Tokohiro Nakamura and Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Katsuhiko Takahashi as well as the people of Ehime for their resounding support when the national players were in the land of the Rising Sun for the Tokyo Olympics.
In last year’s Olympics, the national badminton camp returned with a bronze medal through Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in men’s doubles.
According to BAM, the partnership has been widely acknowledged, with the national badminton governing body being awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for the year 2020 in strengthening the relationship between both countries through badminton.
BAM said Ehime was selected out of a total of 47 prefectures in Japan as Malaysia’s official training base in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics due to its state-of-the-art facilities.
Through the partnership, BAM had sent 60 senior and junior players for three training camps in Ehime in 2018 and 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic halted their plans for pre-Olympic training stints.
The Ehime prefecture is located on the island of Shikoku, some 800 kilometres from Tokyo. – Bernama, January 14, 2022
