His role in OCA will ensure that Malaysia is in an influential position to drive good governance, leadership and development in global sport.
In light of the challenges that regional sporting federations are currently facing, it was more important than ever that every member National Olympic Committee (NOC) of OCA in Southeast Asia had nominated Norza into the leadership position to effect change.
The overwhelming support from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and Malaysia highlighted Norza’s readiness to take on new tests in sport.
Malaysian sports leaders said Norza, a fresh face at the heart of Asian sports, can be relied on to power up the country’s sporting aspirations and Olympic goals.
Norza will be officially declared one of five vice-presidents for a four-year term at the 44th OCA general assembly in New Delhi, India, on Sept 8.
He has been Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president since 2018. The OCM is Malaysia’s NOC.
Hamzah Abu Samah, the fourth president of NOC Malaysia, IOC member (1978-2004) and IOC honorary member (2004-2012), served as the country’s first vice-president of OCA (formerly known as Asian Games Federation) in the 1980s.
Norza said: “I am humbled and honoured to be nominated as the sole candidate for the position of OCA vice-president for Southeast Asia.
“I am equally proud to be the second person from Malaysia, after Tan Sri Hamzah, to be elected OCA vice-president after nearly four decades.
“I would also like to express my gratitude to fellow colleagues in the NOCs of Southeast Asia for their trust and confidence in me to lead the Olympic movement in our zone.
Let us continue to strive for excellence, enforce solidarity and uphold the spirit of the Olympic movement in Southeast Asia.
On Monday, OCA confirmed the unopposed election of India’s Raja Randhir Singh as its new president, while Qatari Thani Al-Kuwari secured the position of vice-president for West Asia, also uncontested.
Three other vice-president slots for South Asia, East Asia and Central Asia will see contests.
Sporting trailblazer
This OCA job is not just a personal milestone for Norza but will also be the most difficult undertaking for him.
Norza knows the OCA system well, having been involved in it since 2019.
He has served as a member of the OCA international relations committee (2019-2023), chair of the OCA sports for all committee (2023) and a member since last year of the OCA coordination panel for the 20th Asian Games in 2026 in Japan.
Norza doesn’t do anything by halves. After announcing that he is quitting as president of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) after the Paris Olympics, he launched a major revamp of the sports body last month.
He brought in external experts for the transformation to ensure BAM is well-geared for the challenges ahead.
The tie-up with private consulting firm Pemandu Associates covers every aspect of BAM’s operations, and is seen as an unprecedented move in national sports administration.
He was widely praised for taking steps to shift mindsets and behaviours with the aim of improving BAM’s financial standing and strengthening performance, pathways and participation at all levels of the sport. - FMT
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