KUALA LUMPUR – The national badminton team’s breakthrough at the BWF World Championships has been hailed as a symbolic turning point for Malaysia, with Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz calling it a landmark moment in the country’s quest to re-establish itself as a global powerhouse.
Tengku Zafrul, who was in China accompanying Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on his four-day working visit during the finals, said he followed the matches via live stream and later rushed to celebrate the team’s unprecedented feat – the first time Malaysia had two pairs in a World Championships final.
“After 48 years, an extraordinary breakthrough — Malaysia had two finalists for the first time since 1977, and our women’s and mixed pairs reached the final for the first time,” he said on social media.
The achievement capped a historic campaign for Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, who clinched Malaysia’s first mixed doubles title, and Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, who became the nation’s first women’s doubles pair to contest a World Championships final.
For Tengku Zafrul, the milestone carried wider significance beyond the medals.
He framed it as proof that Malaysia is on the right path with Tangkis 2030, BAM’s long-term plan to develop a pipeline of world-class players and rekindle badminton’s mass appeal across all levels of society.
“As president of BAM, what I can do is provide the most conducive environment for our players to thrive. That is the vision of Tangkis 2030 – to make Malaysia a badminton powerhouse again and ensure we continue producing athletes of world-class calibre,” he said.
Malaysia last celebrated a world champion in 2022 when Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik won the men’s doubles crown, ending the country’s long wait for gold at the tournament.
With Pearly–Thinaah and Tang Jie–Ee Wei now breaking new ground, Zafrul said the latest results reaffirm the sport’s bright future.
“I can’t wait to see even more glorious moments from our athletes,” he added. — September 4, 2025