KUALA LUMPUR – The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has voiced concerns about its capacity to host tournaments under the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) newly revamped calendar, citing escalating costs, extended schedules, and increased logistical demands.
Speaking to Scoop, BAM Secretary-General Datuk Kenny Goh explained that the association faces considerable challenges with the revised formats. He stressed that while hosting major tournaments remains a priority, financial sustainability must be ensured.
“Organising a premier tournament now involves much higher expenditure. To bid for these major tournaments, there needs to be a fair business model that balances the interests of the host country and BWF,” Kenny remarked.
The overhaul sees Super 1000 tournaments – including the Malaysia Open, All England, Indonesia Open, China Open, and Denmark Open – expanded to 11 days, with prize money increasing to US$2 million (RM7.85 million).
Premier team events such as the Thomas Cup, Uber Cup, and Sudirman Cup will also see their team sizes grow from 16 to 24, with tournament durations extended from 10 to 12 days.
The Sudirman Cup will adopt this new structure in 2027, followed by the Thomas and Uber Cups in 2028, with Indonesia confirmed as the host for all three events.
This year’s Thomas and Uber Cups, scheduled from April 24 to May 3 in Horsens, Denmark, will maintain the existing 16-team format. Next year’s World Championships will extend to 12 days and introduce a new group-stage format to reduce early eliminations.
Kenny questioned whether the extended tournament formats would automatically increase fan engagement.
“If you look at the Thomas Cup and Sudirman Cup, the first few days generally struggle to draw viewers. We need to consider how to make the tournament more interesting,” he said.
Despite these pressures, Malaysia has retained its Super 1000 status for the Malaysia Open and Super 500 status for the Malaysia Masters.
“If we can maintain our World Tour 1000 status, it means all top-ranking players must come to play in Malaysia, which is a very positive outcome,” Kenny noted.
He acknowledged that BAM is not driven by profit, but emphasised that hosting international tournaments should not jeopardise the association’s long-term stability.
“It doesn’t mean we want to make a profit, but it shouldn’t bankrupt us,” he added.
Kenny also highlighted the importance of increased television exposure for the sport’s visibility.
“As long as you don’t get TV ratings, your sport will not be visible to the public,” he said.
BAM last hosted a major event in 2013 during the Sudirman Cup and continues to advocate for a more balanced and sustainable business model to meet the challenges of BWF’s ambitious calendar reforms. – February 11, 2026