by Matthew Umpang
Kuching: Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) held their first council meeting outside Peninsular Malaysia here yesterday, with the subject of grooming future players as the main agenda.
Speaking during a press conference before the meeting at a local hotel here, BAM president Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff admitted the urgency of developing a new batch of players to replace the current batch.
“We do understand that Malaysians want to know if we have the next (Datuk) Lee Chong Wei or any other player like him. As a national body, of course we want to find players like him and we need to start working now,” he said.
He called on all state associations to realise the challenge faced by the national body to deliver a concrete plan to maintain Malaysia’s powerhouse status in the sport of badminton.
Meanwhile during the press conference, Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Hussain expressed the hope that Sarawak will play a crucial in the development of the badminton in the country.
With a few international tournaments held in the state recently, he is looking forward to seeing more Sarawak players step up to compete against top players around the world.
“There is no doubt that a Sarawakian can be among the best if not the best in the country one day.
“We just need to work hard and I do believe that SBA is working hard in the sense of providing platforms for local players in order to give them exposure,” he said.
State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani, who officiated at the meeting, called on BAM to play a crucial role in developing young talents in Sarawak.
“Sarawak’s main constraint is its geographical condition. While we hope for BAM’s help we too want the national body to realise and understand our obstacles here,” he explained.
He hoped that Sarawak can play its part in grooming future national players and that a Sarawakian can become the next big thing in Malaysian badminton.
The BAM meeting was being held in conjunction with the Yonex-Sunrise Malaysian Masters badminton championship at the Stadium Perpaduan here from Jan 13-18.
Borneopost
