A smashing blueprint for badminton – but will it be heeded?

 

The blueprint to dramatically transform the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to an innovative sports body makes plain common sense.

It is a Malaysian sporting revolution that signifies an institutional will to accept new challenges and shift mindsets, behaviours and beliefs.

But for BAM to implement widespread change in how it goes about achieving and measuring success, everyone has to feel that they have something positive out of it.

How the stakeholders react to what can be considered a credible plan to provide an agenda for progress in terms of a bold leadership, new technologies, shifting demographics, and evolving trends is the critical issue.

A complete overhaul to an old system of administration makes perfect sense, but in doing so, does it mean a lot of noses would be put out of joint?

Those opposed to effectiveness are the enemies of aspiration. They should make way for those who see it as an inspiration.

It’s vital for everyone to be on the same page, not pulled in different directions and distracted by different agendas.

In unveiling the plan on Friday, BAM president Norza Zakaria asserted that the makeover is not intended to cause offence or to score points.

He said it would provide a fresh look at the way badminton is delivered, and the way it is viewed in the country that may host the SEA Games in three years’ time.

Sometimes there’s a man, and he’s just the man for his time and place. That’s Norza. The corporate man is the one who felt decisive action was needed to galvanise BAM to new heights.

The BAM and Norza have received a lot of criticism over the years, not least from my pen, for the perceived failure to reform and their inability to consistently produce world beaters.

The successes are there: the accomplishments of former world doubles champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, and pairs like Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, and now the emergence of young pairs in the men’s doubles.

The nation wants more stars, more honours, more talents coming through, and no more excuses. That’s where BAM’s groundbreaking venture comes in.

Let’s not underplay how impressive the turnaround project that will be undertaken with private consulting firm, Pemandu Associates is, and a huge chunk of that is about vision, which is important because foresight and commitment matters.

It matters that BAM aims to fast-track its operations to face new trends, and to strengthen the local badminton ecosystem.

It matters that Malaysia remains a top badminton nation and that efforts will be made to secure a spot among the top three countries in the sport in the run-up to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

If BAM pulls off a top-three place, it would rank as a tremendous act of management alchemy.

It matters that the strategy to tie up with professionals in finance, player development, training, grassroots programmes and governance is unprecedented in national sports administration.

Just how many other national sports associations (NSA) are ready to adapt, innovate and revamp to overcome new battles?

To put it bluntly, some NSAs are in a mess created by their own leaders, with the damage so bad that it will take years to fix.

Why years? Because they resort to cheap vengeance, rivalry for its own sake, and pettiness.

The only workable hope is unity between rivals to protect the association from becoming a rudderless ship, and unity in pursuing the policies which will benefit the sport.

Norza put it in context: “To ensure sustainable progress, we must institutionalise reforms and embed them within our system rather than relying solely on individual efforts.

“If we do not embrace this change and proactively pursue transformation, we risk falling behind and losing our position among the world’s top badminton nations.”

Badminton has a smashing blueprint and I feel everyone should look at it positively. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.