KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria has been elected to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Council for the 2025-2029 term, continuing Malaysian representation at the sport’s highest governing body.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) extended its congratulations to their former president, whose election was announced at the BWF annual general meeting held in Xiamen, China, on Saturday.
In a statement, BAM said Norza’s election reflected the global badminton community’s recognition of his “leadership, vision and longstanding commitment” to the sport’s growth both in Malaysia and internationally.
“We wish Tan Sri Norza continued success as he serves the global badminton fraternity,” the association said.
Meanwhile, the BWF presidency will now be under the stewardship of Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul of Thailand, who was elected unopposed to succeed Denmark’s Poul-Erik Høyer.
Patama, who also serves as president of the Badminton Association of Thailand, becomes the second woman and the fifth Asian to lead the BWF, following Lu Shengrong of China, Ferry Sonneville of Indonesia, Korn Dabbaransi of Thailand, and Kang Young-joong of South Korea.
Her appointment marks a new chapter for the federation, following Høyer’s decision not to seek re-election after serving three consecutive terms since 2013. The former Olympic champion from the 1996 Atlanta Games cited health reasons for stepping down.
Speaking to Scoop in November last year, sources close to Norza indicated that he had chosen not to contest for the BWF presidency to avoid splitting the Asian vote. Instead, he backed Patama’s candidacy in the interest of unity within the continent.
It was understood that ensuring an Asian leader at the helm was seen as crucial to strengthening badminton’s standing within the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and to push for deeper reforms in the sport.
Norza, who stepped down as BAM president after the Paris Olympics, now continues his influence on the international stage.
He also serves as vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia and honorary president of Badminton Asia.
During his tenure at BAM from 2017 to 2024, Norza was credited with significant achievements, including securing multimillion-ringgit sponsorship deals and overseeing Malaysia’s first-ever World Championships title through men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in 2022. – April 26, 2025