KUALA LUMPUR — Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz hopes the government will give due consideration to the association’s proposals in the upcoming Budget 2026, which will be tabled in Parliament tomorrow.
Speaking after presenting incentives to Malaysia’s recent World Championships medallists, Tengku Zafrul said BAM had submitted its recommendations through the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) following engagement sessions with the National Sports Council (NSC) and National Sports Institute (NSI).
“In the engagement session, we also met with the Minister of Youth and Sports (Hannah Yeoh), with NSC and NSI. We have voiced our suggestions,” he said.
“At the same time, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, I hope the Ministry of Finance can give due consideration to what we have proposed at the BAM level. The victory of (Chen) Tang Jie and (Toh) Ee Wei has brought a boost of national spirit to bring Malaysia to an even higher level. So, our hope is that our request is considered by the Ministry of Finance. We will wait eagerly for the budget tomorrow.”
Asked whether Malaysia could truly become a “sporting nation” with sports allocations remaining below one percent of the total budget, Tengku Zafrul — who is also the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry and a former Finance Minister — said the private sector must play a larger role.
“I think this is where it’s important to get the private sector involved because the sports industry is a big industry by itself,” he said.
“For example, in badminton, we need to look at how we can monetise some of the assets we have. We cannot just rely on government support because, to be fair — and speaking as a member of the Cabinet — we need to prioritise within what we have in terms of resources and revenue.”
However, he stressed that continued government backing remains essential to sustain Malaysia’s sporting momentum.
“Having said that, we need to ensure that the support that we have continues from the government. I’m sure our Minister of Youth and Sports has done her part to put across her views on how important the sports industry — and sports like badminton — are to the country. So my hope is that there will be an increase,” he said, adding with a smile.
“But of course, wearing the other hat, I also hope MITI gets some increase for the budget next year.”
Earlier today, Tengku Zafrul presented cash incentives to Malaysia’s mixed doubles world champions Tang Jie and Ee Wei, as well as women’s doubles finalists Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei received RM300,000 from BAM, RM100,000 from Yonex, and RM60,000 from Affin Bank. Their coach, Nova Widianto, was awarded RM15,000, while six members of the mixed doubles support team received a combined RM18,000.
Pearly and Thinaah were presented with RM112,500 from BAM, RM50,000 from Yonex, and RM30,000 from Affin Bank.
Also present at the ceremony were representatives from BAM’s corporate partners Yonex and Affin Bank. — October 10, 2025
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