KUALA LUMPUR: Newly elected Badminton Asia (BA) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh confirmed that the regional governing body's headquarters will return to Malaysia soon. The BA office was relocated to the Maldives in 2021.
Goh, who is also BA of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general, said: "Honestly, I do not really know why they had to move to Maldives in the first place.
"Malaysia is a badminton nation. Strategically, it makes more sense for BA to be here.
"In fact, even the Badminton World Federation is headquartered here.
"We are already in the process of relocating the office back to Malaysia," he said.
For the record, BA was founded in Malaysia in 1959.
Separately, BAM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, who is also BA honorary president, yesterday announced the signing of a two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Arab Emirates Badminton Federation.
Norza, who posted pictures from the event on his Instagram page, said: "The MoU reinforces our commitment to promote and develop badminton.
"The MoU is effective immediately and set for two years. The agreement covers various aspects of development, including training, competitions and sports science."
Norza is also president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia.