KUALA LUMPUR – The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) is looking to recruit at least two mental health experts to enhance the performance of national players.
BAM acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam told Scoop that he will work closely with newly appointed National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Dr Vellapandian Ponnusamy, an expert in sports psychology, to bring in the right personnel.
“We are looking to fill two roles—one for a psychologist and another to help juniors overcome mental blocks.
“I am confident we will be able to secure them, as I will be working closely with Dr Vellapandian. He is highly experienced in sports psychology, and his recent statement (supporting BAM’s need for dedicated mental health experts) makes his stance very clear,” said Subramaniam.
The move comes at a critical time following a series of substandard performances by Malaysia’s national shuttlers this season.
So far, men’s doubles duo Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun remain the only national players to have won a World Tour title this year, having claimed the Super 500 Indonesia Masters in January.
Since then, Malaysia’s shuttlers failed to progress beyond the group stage at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships (BAMTC) for the first time in the tournament’s history last month, while only Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah managed to reach the quarter-finals at last week’s All England.
With top national players reportedly earning up to RM2 million annually while enjoying the best support and facilities, frustration is growing within the local badminton community.
Separately, Subramaniam told Scoop that he will call a press conference to officially announce the findings of BAM’s ongoing post-mortem, which began earlier this week. — March 19, 2025