KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has refuted allegations by Paralympic Council Malaysia (PCM) president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman that it accepted bribes to nominate Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail as PCM president for the 2025-2029 term last month.
BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh dismissed the accusations as baseless, and said that BAM was not among the associations challenging the PCM AGM proceedings.
"I was not even aware of such allegations. I have not read anything about it, and there is no truth to it.
"Why would BAM accept bribes? I think this is a very unreasonable accusation," he told reporters at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara today.
Yesterday, it was reported that Shapawi, formerly the National Sports Council's (NSC) director-general, lodged a police report against Megat, who had accused him of bribery leading up to the MPM AGM last month.
The report was made to clear his name, as the allegations were said to tarnish his image and credibility.
Shapawi claimed that Megat's report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission a day before the AGM on December 15 last year was false since he had not received any formal call from the MACC.
Megat had previously lodged a report with the MACC, alleging that Shapawi and NSC Paralympic Division director Mohd Sofian Hamzah had bribed BAM to secure the nomination for the MPM president post for the 2025-2029 term.
In a separate development, Goh said BAM will adhere to the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) regulations for the Malaysia Open 2025, scheduled from January 7 to January 12 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
"The rules have their pros and cons, of course. Maybe after a few implementations, BWF will conduct a review.
"For now, we want to observe whether these weaknesses will significantly impact players. If they do, Malaysia will surely voice its concerns," he said, expressing satisfaction that the prestigious Super 1000 tournament has seen nearly 90 per cent of tickets sold.
According to BWF's new regulations, players are not allowed to receive medical treatment during a match and must wait until a break.
— Bernama
