THE Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today said its council members have unanimously agreed on Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz taking over as its new president.

Outgoing BAM president Mohamad Norza Zakaria said the detailed timeline of Tengku Zafrul’s appointment would be discussed internally at the next council meeting in December.

“We (the BAM council members) expect the election of Tengku Zafrul will be done in January 2024,” he told a press conference today.

Norza had announced in August that he would step down from the post of president at the end of the year.

His decision came as a shock to many since he had announced in July that he planned to leave the national governing body only after the 2024 Paris Games.

Norza said Tengku Zafrul’s vast experience in the corporate sector before venturing into the political scene would definitely help him take BAM to the next level.

He revealed that the minister has shown great interest in becoming his successor while the response from BAM’s stakeholders was also positive.

“My advice to him is to put in a lot of work to understand the ecosystem of badminton and meet all stakeholders, administrators, coaches and players to get input on the areas needing improvement.

“I know it’s not easy (to become BAM president). That’s why we need someone who is strong and passionate enough to maintain our status as one of the world’s top badminton forces,” he said. – Bernama, October 14, 2023.