Malaysia will be a powerhouse in the world badminton scene soon. That is the guarantee of Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Mohamad Norza Zakaria. In order to facilitate this, he recently put in place key personnel in the association and masterminded the construction of the state-of-the-art Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara.
Unanimously elected as BAM president in 2017, Norza Zakaria vowed in his first council meeting that he would start plans and policies that will help bring Malaysia back to badminton prominence. “We want to win the Olympics and the Thomas Cup” Norza Zakaria said, “and we will need to start building our own talent pool.”
Three years later, Norza Zakaria is even more confident about Malaysia’s return to badminton glory. “I strongly believe that Malaysia can be the powerhouse again in two years,” Norza Zakaria told The Star. “We’ve done our best to put things in order and strengthened the areas that we believed that we were weak in.”
Judging by the sweeping changes Norza Zakaria has instituted there is, indeed, reason for optimism. Notably, both the elite and junior programs are now being handled by icons of Malaysian badminton: Wong Choong Hann for the elite team and Datuk Misbun Sidek for the juniors. The two decorated internationalists have full mandate over their teams, but are closely working with Datuk Kenny Goh, head of the coaching and training committee, and Datuk Ng Chin Chai, head of the development committee.
Another positive development that bodes well for Malaysian badminton is the establishment of the program’s own mini Sports Science center, which figures to give both the juniors and seniors teams a scientific approach to training and recovery. In addition, living conditions for Malaysia’s national badminton teams are set to improve significantly, as they will now get to train in a fully-equipped gymnasium complete with 26 administration staff and an auditorium. They will also be living in a comfortable hostel, and will have access to the center’s performance and training experts.
This potential return to prominence is welcome news given Malaysia’s reputation as a badminton country. Badminton is so popular here that it is one of the most bet on sports in Malaysia’s robust online gaming scene. An Expat Bets guide to Malaysia outlines how the sports betting scene has increased in recent years. This is due to the country’s complex gaming legislation, which prohibits gambling on account of Sharia laws, granting the Ascot Sports license to run sports betting locally. As a result, locals can legally wager on sports, with tennis basketball, and badminton emerging as the most popular options.
Additionally, this badminton renaissance could not have come at a better time, as it will coincide with increasing interest in the sport throughout Asia. A Nikkei Asia report on badminton’s rise in the region notes how it is widely played in Asia, and will continue to be thanks to the continent’s success in international competition. Since the sport’s introduction in the Olympics 38 of 44 medals awarded in the men’s and women’s singles competitions have been won by Asians — including 8 by Malaysian athletes. A quick return to badminton superpower status, as guaranteed by Norza Zakaria, is sure to add to that medal tally.
