The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has appointed former national junior player, Lim Kenn, as the Head of Talent Pipeline Development, effective 1 March 2026, to strengthen the coordination between State Badminton Associations and BAM. 

The appointment aims to ensure that development at the State Badminton Associations aligns closely with the standards and performance direction of BAM, while bridging the quality and skills gap between state players and the national squad to facilitate a smoother transition to the elite level. 

In his new role, Lim will monitor development at the State Badminton Associations and oversee BAM’s talent pathway structure as a whole, ensuring that state programmes move in line with the national training framework. 

His responsibilities include strengthening training structures, coaching methodologies, fitness monitoring and the application of a more systematic sports science approach. 

BAM Performance Committee Chairman, Dato’ Seri Dr. Lee Chong Wei believes that this coordinative bridging step is important to ensure that each state moves in line with the technical and performance direction set at the national level. 

“BAM will conduct regular monitoring every two or three months by sending coaches to the states. The purpose of this visit is to assess the development of players, provide additional guidance to state coaches and identify new talents with high potential. 

“For me, the State Badminton Association plays a very important role in producing players who will be absorbed into the national squad every year. Therefore, strength at the grassroots level is the foundation of Malaysia’s success on the international stage,” said Chong Wei. 

Additionally, this new initiative will also involve sharing the expertise of national coaches with state coaches, including the latest training modules, match video analysis and modern tactical approaches used at the international level. 

BAM also emphasises the need to formulate new ideas to attract more young players, especially at the school level, to take up badminton. 

Closer collaboration with schools, as well as other stakeholders, will be enhanced and streamlined. 

“We believe that early exposure to quality training, a competitive environment and comprehensive support will help shape a generation of players who are more resilient, disciplined and ready to face challenges at a higher level,” he added. 

Through this long-term planning, clear targets for players who will compete in the 2032 Olympic Games and the 2036 Olympic Games, as well as subsequent editions, can be identified earlier, thus ensuring the continuity of the national players' performance.