KUALA LUMPUR – In a move that directly addresses recent and potent criticism of the nation’s talent development, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has unveiled a comprehensive strategic plan, ‘Tangkis 2030’, which will see the national body revert to recruiting players from a much younger age.
The announcement was made by BAM’s newly-minted president, Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, following his first official council meeting, 100 days after taking the helm.
The plan signals a major policy shift, as BAM had previously moved to only induct players aged 16 and above.
This decisive change of direction appears to be a direct response to the concerns publicly raised by BAM’s deputy president II, Datuk Seri Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos, who, on Scoop’s recent Sport Check podcast, called for a complete overhaul of the grassroots programme and criticised the lack of a national blueprint.
When asked about the need for a nationwide grassroots blueprint, Tengku Zafrul acknowledged the system’s current shortcomings and confirmed a new approach was essential.
“The coaches explain that you cannot expect some overnight result if you don’t have a strong grassroots pipeline going forward”, Tengku Zafrul said during the press conference at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) today.
“We also discussed the performance of our juniors which right now may be not at the right level… So all point back to the grassroots. We really need a strong grassroots programme”.
Confirming the pivot to a younger intake, he added, “We talked to the coaches, they said the juniors need to come in earlier even. It makes sense to start again to look at the younger ones”.
The Tangkis 2030 vision aims to make Malaysia a global badminton powerhouse with immediate goals of winning the Thomas Cup next year and securing an Olympic gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This will be driven by five strategic pillars, one of which is “Inspiring Grassroots”.
Under this pillar, BAM intends to collaborate more with the states, with the schools, universities, even with the clubs and academies, an approach that mirrors the schools-first ‘Jejak Juara’ programme successfully implemented by Jahaberdeen at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA).
Beyond the long-term vision, Tengku Zafrul also announced a series of immediate ‘quick wins’ to improve the welfare of shuttlers within the national setup.
In a significant boost for player nutrition, the daily food budget per athlete at the academy will be doubled, from RM35 to between RM70 and RM75, starting September 1. Furthermore, the monthly allowance for junior athletes is set to be increased from the current RM300 to RM1,000.
To strengthen the association’s strategic direction, Tengku Zafrul also confirmed the appointment of four new independent council members, a list headlined by Malaysian badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei.
While the Tangkis 2030 plan is still to be fully adopted pending further input from state associations, this initial presentation signals a clear intent from the new leadership to tear down outdated structures and build a more robust and unified talent pipeline from the ground up, tackling head-on the very grassroots woes that have plagued Malaysian badminton. – Aug 16, 2025