THE BA of Malaysia (BAM) are prepared to organise more internal tournaments into the first quarter of next year should the Covid-19 situation worsen in the country.
On Saturday, Malaysia recorded its highest number (1,228) of new positive cases since March, which could lead to an extension of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in the Klang Valley.
The current CMCO expires tomorrow.
If the CMCO is extended, National Sports Associations (NSAs) must think of ways to keep their athletes competitive and motivated.
BAM secretary general Datuk Kenny Goh admitted that certain challenges are inevitable, but the show must go on.
"I can't speak on behalf of other sports, but for us here at BAM, things are still under control.
"We have our strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place and will probably continue organising internal tournaments into the first quarter of next year.
"If the CMCO is extended, then one of the challenges we will face is getting players from other states as well as professionals.
"We will have to monitor the latest developments but what I can say for now is we are planning to go ahead with our National Championships in December," said Kenny.
BAM had earlier hosted the Invitational Championships (in August) and the inaugural President's Cup (last month).
Kenny also noted that international badminton might only kick into full gear if tournaments are hosted in a bubble environment.
This decision, however, lies in the hands of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The Asian leg of the World Tour, slated in January in Bangkok, Thailand, is expected to be the yardstick.
The recent Denmark Open was the first international tournament in eight months following the suspension of the World Tour calendar in March.
"This does not just affect BAM but every other BWF member association.
"I believe the BWF will need to be innovative. Tournaments can no longer be organised like they used to pre-Covid.
"They may have to start organising bubble tournaments. So we will have to wait and see if the Asian leg materialises," Kenny added.