Tan Sri (Dr.) Mohamad Norza Zakaria, President of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today lauded the forward-thinking decisions made by the Task Force for Junior Development which met yesterday under the Chairmanship of Datuk V Subramaniam.

The Task Force discussed the intake of players into the PETRONAS Akademi Badminton Malaysia (PABM) for the Year 2024 and beyond.

Following input from PABM’s Director of Coaching, Rexy Mainaky and PABM’s Head of Juniors, Jeffer Rosobin, as well as research papers on the holistic development of junior athletes, the Task Force decided that the PABM will only house players aged 16 years and above.

Current 14- to 15-year-olds at the PABM will remain. The decision will only impact the 2024 intake onwards.

Further, in order to support younger players who have shown outstanding potential but are under 16 years of age, the Task Force agreed that on a case-by-case basis, the PABM would provide additional support to these young outstanding players while allowing them to remain at their home (i.e. stay with their family and train at their respective States).

PABM’s support for these young players would be in the form of monthly allowances and financial support for the player’s participation at tournaments. Additionally, the player’s training program will be provided and monitored by Jeffer and Rexy. The young players will also be invited to join the training at PABM during school holidays.

“Yesterday’s decisions by the Task Force are in line with BAM’s aim to decentralize the development of badminton and to get more stakeholders involved,” Norza said.

“It gives our State Associations, coaches and parents at the grassroots the opportunity to work longer with young players, up to the age of 15 years old before those selected are absorbed into the PABM. This will ultimately widen the number of players undergoing systematic training and will augur well for the future,” added Norza.

“We believe that allowing players below 15 years old to stay with their family is crucial in developing the players’ maturity, mental and emotional well-being. In return, they will be able to focus better on their training. Historical data have also shown that players who joined the national team at 16 years old are not at a disadvantage compared to those joining at a younger age,” Subramaniam said.

Subramaniam also added that, “In line with Tan Sri Norza’s vision, we are also looking forward to working closely with the clubs and State BAs in identifying and supporting younger players in their development. Guidelines will be issued to streamline the identification and selection of these younger players.”