KUALA LUMPUR: Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz is now officially the new president of Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
Tengku Zafrul holds the number one seat of BAM after being unanimously elected unopposed at the election held in conjunction with the 80th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the national badminton governing body here, today.
Tengku Zafrul, who is grateful for the mandate and trust given by BAM council members, described it as a great trust and honour that he will shoulder with full dedication to empower the association to become a respected entity both locally and internationally.
“For me, this is a great honour and I will shoulder this trust with full responsibility, dedication and determination to see the national badminton sport continue to excel on the world stage.
“I will use my outside experience in the private sector and also the government to ensure that BAM management continues to be strengthened and BAM becomes a sports institution that serves as an example not only in Malaysia but also internationally,” he said at a press conference here.
Meanwhile, he requested for 100 days to obtain views from stakeholders, players, coaching staff and sponsors before formulating a strategic and effective plan for the development of the national badminton sport.
He said that he needed the period of time to understand and examine the proposals or issues plaguing the national badminton sport because he believed that this approach was the key to building a comprehensive and realistic plan for the sport.
“After the 100-day period, God willing, I will present my strategic vision and comprehensive action plan together with our team,“ he said.
Despite being aware of the burden and high expectations placed on badminton by Malaysian sports fans, Tengku Zafrul said he was ready to take on the challenge, including trying to achieve the country’s first gold medal at the Olympic Games.
“I’m a man who’s up for a challenge and I feel that this is a challenge that if we plan properly and execute properly, it’s a challenge that we can take and succeed,“ he said.
Tengku Zafrul, who is the 13th president of BAM, also announced that former acting president of BAM Datuk V. Subramaniam has been reappointed as deputy president 1 while Datuk Seri Dr Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos will remain as deputy president 2.
He also took the opportunity to express appreciation of the services and contributions of former president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria who successfully laid an important foundation for BAM to continue moving forward.
He also called for the strong support of all stakeholders including sports fans in the country to be given to him and the BAM leadership in their efforts to achieve greater success in the future.
Last March, Subramaniam announced that the majority of BAM council members reached a consensus to nominate Tengku Zafrul as the new president.
Early last year, Tengku Zafrul was almost appointed as BAM president to replace Mohamad Norza, who initially planned to resign.
However, Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh asked Mohamad Norza to reconsider his decision and remain in the position until the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
After Paris 2024 ended, BAM appointed Subramaniam as acting president until this AGM.
