Over to you: Tan Sri Norza Zakaria (left) shakes hands with acting BAM president Datuk V. Subramaniam.
PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Norza Zakaria humorously recalled himself rolling on the ground in delight when men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik won Malaysia first world title in Japan two years ago.
Norza claimed that Aaron-Wooi Yik’s victory was the most memorable achievement during his seven-year tenure as the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president.
The duo ended a 45-year wait for a world title.
Having concluded his eventful leadership at the BAM yesterday, Norza believes that he will always remember that breakthrough which had helped Malaysia live to the tag as a badminton powerhouse.
Norza, who became the president in 2017, handed the baton to deputy president Datuk V. Subramaniam who will assume the role as the acting president until BAM’s annual general meeting (AGM) in May next year.
“I was rolling on the ground celebrating at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium when Aaron-Wooi Yik won our first world title in 45 minutes. That was my sweetest memory as the BAM president,” said a composed Norza.
He hopes Malaysia under the good leadership of national coaching director Rexy Mainaky will win the country’s first Olympic Games gold medal next.
“This is my last council meeting and the last day as the BAM president. I will leave it to Subramaniam and his team to continue the efforts without any interference from me.”
Norza also highlighted several issues that has put him in bad light although he has served the association without expecting anything in return and also looked after the welfare of the players throughout his tenure.
Norza was disappointed that he was criticised for not offering additional accreditation for Lee Zii Jia’s sister and manager Lee Zii Yi and Goh Jin Wei’s coach Nova Armada.
“To put the record straight, the sole reason I brought Misbun (Sidek) back into BAM was to help Zii Jia to become a top player,” added Norza.
“I have been supportive of his decision to become an independent player and even met his parents to give my blessings.
“There was a period during the Covid-19 pandemic when Zii Jia was having a rough patch which led to coaches and the council advised against sending him to the All England.
“However, I stood my ground to allow him to play and it was justified that he went on to become the champion.
“The outcry that Nova wasn’t give the accreditation had no truth as the coach himself didn’t want to travel to the Paris Olympics.
“There is always that disappointment that I have to take the blame despite giving the best and serving the BAM as best as I could.”
However, Norza is happy that he will be going with a satisfaction of putting BAM with a strong financial background and also having able to establish the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) which would list down as his significant contributions.
“When I took over, I prioritized strengthening BAM’s finances and governance. BAM became one of the first national sports association to offer EPF and Socso benefits to athletes, six years ahead of the standard,” added Norza.
“That same year, we inaugurated the ABM which is now home to 120 players, including the juniors. This facility, equipped with 18 badminton courts, a gym and a rehabilitation centre, has been instrumental in our shuttlers’ development.
“BAM had also successfully secured landmark sponsorships with Petronas and Yonex. We have also shifted our focus from age-based categorisation to performance-driven and merit-based system to accelerate the growth of our players.”
