Kuala Lumpur: It’s official, after days of speculation whether the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) would keep Victor or pick YONEX as their new sponsor, on Friday, BAM officially signed a five-year RM55 million sponsorship deal with YONEX.
The President of BAM, Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, said the sponsorship involved a cash sponsorship and as a sports equipment supplier to BAM for a period of five years, from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2026.
“YONEX will supply equipment to all our 151 players including both senior and youth players and also the coaches at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM). YONEX will also be the exclusive official equipment supplier for international tournaments such as the Malaysia Open, Malaysia Masters, and International Challenges,” said Zakaria.
“I would like to thank YONEX for this very meaningful collaboration. Every time we have a discussion, it is always about bringing Malaysian badminton to the highest level,” added Zakaria at the press conference after the signing of the sponsorship agreement at ABM, Bukit Kiara.
This also meant that YONEX has replaced Taiwanese sports equipment company, Victor, as the major sponsor for BAM. Victor’s six-year RM60 million sponsorship contract expired last month.
The YONEX brand was no stranger to BAM. Before Victor, YONEX has been sponsoring BAM for 15 years from 2001 to 2015.
Meanwhile, World No. 8 men’s singles player, Lee Zii Jia was excited with the opportunity of using the YONEX equipment.
“I am very happy … I have used and very familiar with this brand since I was a child, I hope I can achieve better results later with the YONEX equipment,” Lee told reporters after attending the signing ceremony.
Malaysia’s badminton legend, Lee Chong Wei, who has been one of the biggest names and the most influential YONEX spokesperson for years also attended the signing ceremony. He expressed his readiness to help Lee Zii Jia managing his finances and stress after being overwhelmed with attention following his glorious success in the 2021 All England.
“He came to see me and asked how to manage all that (finances). I told him how I managed my income and stress, both from sponsors and my career as a badminton player,” said Lee.
