BAM President Proposes Selective Participation And Financial Transparency

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) President Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz will propose at the governing body’s first council meeting of 2026 here tomorrow, that players become more selective in the tournaments they enter moving forward.

Based on last year’s tournament statistics presented to him, he noted that while players competed in numerous events, they failed to achieve impressive returns, particularly in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 competitions.

“If you notice, none of our players won a Super 1000 tournament last year. So we need to have a look at it and then look at the return from there. 

“If they enter every tournament and lose them all, that is not okay. We also need to understand - even during the era of Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei and Chinese ace Lin Dan - they did not enter every tournament, so we need to be more selective,” he told reporters while visiting the 2026 Malaysia Open media center here today.

The best achievement by national representatives in Super 1000 events during the 2025 season came from 2022 world men's doubles champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik at the China Open, and 2025 World Championship women's doubles runners-up Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah at the Indonesia Open.

Tengku Zafrul also stated that he would raise a proposal to ensure BAM is open and more transparent in its financial management, including 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. I want to be transparent so that people know; while it will put pressure on the players, to me, anywhere else in the world, you disclose it,” he said.

He added that tomorrow's meeting is also expected to discuss the governing body’s financial sustainability, including the importance of commercialising badminton more effectively, monetising existing assets, and ensuring a portion of those proceeds is channeled back into grassroots development.

The 2026 Malaysia Open, which began last Tuesday, is scheduled to run until this Sunday.

--BERNAMA