BAM President Tengku Zafrul proposes players be more selective in competitions and advocates for full financial transparency on player contracts and costs.
BADMINTON Association of Malaysia (BAM) President Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz will propose a more selective tournament schedule for national players.
He will raise the matter at BAM’s first council meeting of 2026 tomorrow.
The proposal follows a review of 2025 statistics showing no Malaysian victories in BWF World Tour Super 1000 events.
“If you notice, none of our players won a Super 1000 tournament last year,” he told reporters at the Malaysia Open media centre.
He noted that even legends like Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan did not enter every competition.
The best 2025 results in Super 1000 events came from Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik at the China Open and Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah at the Indonesia Open.
Tengku Zafrul also stated he will propose full financial transparency for BAM.
This includes openly disclosing player contract payments, salaries, bonuses, and tournament participation costs.
“We will disclose how much they receive and the costs for each player, so that sponsors are also informed,” he said.
He believes transparency is a global standard, even if it places additional pressure on athletes.
Tomorrow’s meeting is also expected to discuss BAM’s financial sustainability.
Key topics will include commercialising badminton more effectively and monetising existing assets.
A portion of any increased proceeds would be channelled back into grassroots development.
The 2026 Malaysia Open began last Tuesday and runs until this Sunday.
