KUALA LUMPUR – Badminton Asia (BA) announced the appointment of Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria as its honorary president during its annual general meeting earlier today.
The announcement was made by newly elected BA president Kim Jong Soo from South Korea, as Norza’s appointment was unanimously supported by the BA delegates.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president is now the first Malaysian to assume the role of honorary president in Asia’s badminton governing body. His term will correspond with the current executive council’s term from 2023 to 2027.
“I am overwhelmed with the appointment because it was unanimously endorsed by the 41 other countries at the meeting.
“This shows that these countries look up to Malaysian badminton in terms of its administration, setting up a high-performance centre, and also in terms of its improved ranking on the world stage,” he told The Vibes.
At the same time, BAM general secretary Datuk Kenny Goh was elected BA secretary general after emerging as the winner during the meeting’s elections.
“I think it is an honour for Malaysia to not just have an honorary president but also have a secretary general within BA.
“From here we can further strengthen Malaysian badminton by having exchange programmes with other countries, while also contributing to smaller countries that wish to enhance their development programmes by bringing them to our high-performance centre,” Norza added.
Meanwhile, BAM deputy president Datuk V. Subramaniam hailed and congratulated Norza, adding that the president’s extensive knowledge and advice will benefit BA effectively, including areas of marketing, sponsorship, event organisation and development.
According to the BA constitution, an honorary president requires a person to have served the confederation distinctively, have vast knowledge and experience, and have achieved a certain status to provide support and impact on BA.
Norza has held the reigns at BAM since April 2017, and is currently president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). – The Vibes, April 29, 2023
