KUALA LUMPUR – The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) is ready to offer its facility to more independent players in the country soon.
BAM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria said, for now, they will not divulge further details while secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh draws up the plan.
“We are looking into how we could have the national team work more closely with the professional players.
“Datuk Kenny is formulating a way where this facility could also be used by these players provided they achieve a certain world rank.
“I’m also engaging Goh Jin Wei to see what her plan is moving forward,” Norza said.
He also noted that they might allow professional players who have reached the top 10 or 20 ranks in the world to utilise the facility at the Malaysian Badminton Academy, but the plan is not yet cast in stone.
BAM believed the move would benefit the association as their players will have formidable sparring partners.
For the time being, the professionals are only allowed to join a centralised training with the national team during major tournaments such as the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals.
Shuttlers who have left the national setup to become independent include world number five Lee Zii Jia, former world junior champion Goh Jin Wei, men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, and mixed doubles Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai. – The Vibes, August 14, 2022
