KUALA LUMPUR: The BA of Malaysia (BAM) will be headed by International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz from January next year.
Outgoing BAM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria announced that the council unanimously agreed to appoint Tengku Zafrul as the new president today.
Tengku Zafrul is set to assume the role following an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) scheduled for the end of the year.
Norza, who took over BAM in 2017, declared his intention to step down in August, even though his tenure was supposed to end in 2025.
"The affiliates, all 15 of them, have unanimously decided to appoint Tengku Zafrul as the new BAM president. A detailed timeline will be discussed internally and announced after the council meeting in December this year," said Norza after chairing the BAM council meeting at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara today.
"As a leader, I needed to decide on the continuity in leadership. We have consulted with major stakeholders such as the Youth and Sports Ministry, sponsors, and our relationship with the current government.
"The transition of leadership needs to be executed with good judgment and the support of council members."
Norza said BAM had never faced a leadership crisis,
"Following tradition, the council agreed with my suggestion to appoint Tengku Zafrul. He possesses the attributes to lead BAM, being young, dynamic, and having strong leadership qualities.
"I have discussed the position with Tengku Zafrul and also with the Youth and Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh, and it seems he is the right candidate for the position.
"Tengku Zafrul will need to put a lot of effort into understanding the dynamics of BAM, including meeting with stakeholders, coaches, players, and fans to identify areas for improvement."
Norza also announced the promotion of Rexy Mainaky as the new ABM director of coaching and the appointment of Indonesian Jeffer Rosobin as the new head coach of the junior team.
Jeffer, a former Asian Championships men's singles champion, has a strong track record in nurturing young talents, most notably coaching Gregoria Mariska Tunjung to victory at the 2017 World Junior Championships.
"Rexy, in his new role, will oversee both the seniors and juniors, ensuring a consistent coaching philosophy across all departments and facilitating the seamless transition of our junior athletes into the senior squad,"
"We believe Jeffer possesses the necessary qualities to lead the junior squad and work effectively with Rexy.
"We hope he can help improve the women's singles department based on his previous work with Gregoria," Norza added.