BAM collaborate with Universiti Malaya for sports science exposure
KUALA LUMPUR: Sports science for all. With this in mind, the Badminton Association of Malaysia ( BAM) have taken their first step by partnering with Universiti Malaya (UM) to expose their shuttlers and coaches — at all levels — to sports science.
BAM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) with UM yesterday.
For the next six months, the shuttlers will get to use the sports science facilities at the university.
They will undergo sports science tests to enhance performances and coaches will be educated on the benefits of sports science. There will be researches, too.
“UM has all the facilities and the experts. All our players, from seniors to juniors, will benefit from this collaboration. The juniors will undergo fitness tests and they will be monitored,” said BAM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria after signing the MoU with Prof Dr Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan, the deputy vice-chancellor (development) of UM.
“This is also a step to educate all our coaches. Some may still be inclined to doing things the traditional way.
“We’ll take steps for junior coaches to have basic knowledge of sports science.”
UM director of sports centre Professor Dr Zulqarnain Mohd, who witnessed the MoU, said that it was a pioneer project for the university.
“The BAM have many levels of players. The NSI (National Sports Institute) cater to their elite, the Podium Programme and Kita Juara athletes. But the subsequent layers do not enjoy this privilege,” he said.
“This is where UM comes in. We have the facilities, expertise and the labs to assist this group. We’ve recently developed a new RM3mil lab and it’s ready for use.
“It will be a win-win situation. On one side, we can make sure that our facilities are put to good use and this whole project can also be turned into a research-based programme.”