BAM opens door for independent shuttlers

KUALA LUMP UR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia ( BAM) will open its doors to independent shuttlers to participate in the Badminton World Federation ( BWF) Grade 2 tournaments.

BAM president Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said it would give high level exposures for the professional shuttlers, as part of BAM’s effort to expand its search for the country’s next badminton great.

“We will put up the recommendation at our next Council meeting on Oct 20 to allow them to take part in the Grade 2 HSBC BWF World Tour. The players, however, have to meet some criteria to be allowed to take part,” he told reporters after launching the 2018/19 Purple League yesterday.

Mohamad Norza stated it as a part of BAM’s lean and mean structure by shrinking the number of players under the national badminton governing body to reduce the over-reliance on government funding.

“The Coaching and Training (C& T) has announced we will invest in young players, probably below 23-year- old and keep the players purely based on KPI ( key performance indicator),” he said.

Mohamad Norza however noted that selection of players for the BWF Grade 1 major events like Thomas, Uber and Sudirman Cup competitions as well as World Championships is under BAM’s jurisdictions.

The tournaments that fall under the Grade 2 are level one to five of HSBC BWF World Tours offering prize money of between US$ 1.5 million to US$ 150,000 ( about RM6.21 million to RM621,270), including All England and Malaysia Open.

Meanwhile, Purple League CEO Datuk Jack Koh said the fifth season will see almost the same format as the previous edition, consisting three stages with participation from eight teams.

The first and second stage will be held from Dec 20 to January 13, 2019 at the Gem in Mall Cyberjaya, while the finals to be held from Jan 24 to 27 at the Arena of Stars, Resorts World Genting with RM1.5 million prize money at stake.

Nineteen teams will play in the two divisions of fourth season of Purple League Junior from Oct 13 to Nov 4, while the inaugural Purple League Corporate is aimed at the corporate world. — Bernama