KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk James Selvaraj’s passion for badminton not only made him a household name in the sport, but also helped him become a recognisable figure with footwear manufacturers Bata for 40 years.
James, who helped Malaysia finish runners-up at the 1976 Thomas Cup, started working for Bata as a sports supervisor in 1980, when he was still a national player at the age of 30.
Most players then used to work and play for the national side, and James took up the offer and was in charge of the company’s community service.
His job required him to travel around the country to spot young badminton players talent while promoting Bata’s school shoes.
And during one of his road trips, James spotted a talented bunch of players from Banting, Selangor.
Yes, James was the first guy to spot the Sidek brothers, who all became famous national players.
His long allegiance with the five siblings — Misbun, Razif, Jalani, Rashid and Rahman — started then. He constantly helped them in their careers by securing financial assistance from Bata.
James, as an assistant to national coach Tan Yee Khan, briefly coached Razif-Jalani. He played an important role when the pair won the men’s doubles title at the 1982 All England.
He served as national coach between 1983-1985 and was also the BA of Malaysia’s (BAM) high-performance director under former president Datuk Seri Nadzmi Salleh.
“My career with Bata started in 1980. I served them for 39 years and 11 months before I retired in December last year as a senior manager.
“The ‘Bata Community Service’ project allowed me to have a career both in and out of badminton,” said the 70-year-old James.
“I travelled around the country scouting for talents under the programme. And during one of my trips, I spotted the Sidek brothers.
“I helped Razif-Jalani during the 1982 All England as I was based in London then. Until today, I still follow the Sidek brothers’ progress as coaches.
“I have to thank Bata for this as the company gave me the flexibility to also focus on badminton. But I also made sure I delivered the company’s KPI in boosting up the sales of Bata products.”
While his heart was always on badminton, James became an icon in Bata (now known as Bata Primavera) for his tireless efforts in changing the Bata and Power brands as merely catering for school students.
He initiated a move to introduce a complete range of Bata footwear including jogging shoes and football boots.
In his first year (1980), he met Bata’s sales target of 30,000 pairs, worth RM3 million, and in the next 10 years, he had sold one million pairs (worth RM40 million).
Bata was impressed with James and they promoted him as Power’s brand manager. He was promoted as senior manager five years before his retirement.
“I started with the target of 30,000 pairs of shoes and in 10 years, managed to push it to one million pairs,” said James, who is unofficially known as Mr Bata.
“My first venture was introducing the ‘Power badminton masters’ shoes, which become popular among students.
“Once I became the brand manager for Power, I developed a whole range of sports shoes.
“We also became the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s (OCM) partner in 1990, where we provided shoes to athletes for the Sea Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.
“Power will be the official shoe for the Malaysian contingent for the Tokyo Olympics this year.”
Although he has officially retired from Bata, James is likely to accept their offer as a consultant.
James is still eager to serve the sport, despite his age and wants to contribute on a part-time or full-time basis with either BAM, State BAs, clubs or academies.
“My passion has always been badminton and since I’ve retired from Bata, I am hoping to contribute to the sport in any capacity,” added James.
“Many of the current coaches have worked with me when I was BAM’s high-performance director. If my services are required, I am willing to work part-time or full-time basis for BAM or other badminton organisations.”
Among the national coach who has worked under James are Hendrawan, Tey Seu Bock and Rosman Razak.