KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) needs more than RM55 million a year to cover its operating costs, said president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
He said these costs cover remuneration for players and coaches, tournament participation expenses, and organising domestic competitions.
“For now, we are okay. To sustain us, we need about RM55 million a year, but the amount is for now and going forward it will be higher,” he said at a press conference after BAM’s first council meeting of the year here today.
He said that last year, BAM spent RM54 million as of November 2025.
Tengku Zafrul also said BAM must strengthen its brand to attract more sponsorship.
Meanwhile, he said the council discussed support for junior players, including an increase in allowances and the provision of racket string expenses (worth RM400,000 in total).
“As per BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh’s paper, the allowance is around RM400 to RM600. That’s what they get and maybe it’s not enough, so we will increase it to up to RM1,000 for all players per month,” he said.
He also said the council discussed a review of local coaches’ salary rates.
Regarding the performance of the players in the Malaysia Open, which is currently underway at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil here, Tengku Zafrul admitted to being disappointed that there were players who were expected to advance further but failed.
“In terms of the organisation of the tournament, it was done very well. If you look at the spectator crowd, there are not many complaints.
“In terms of players’ performance, of course we hope more players are involved in the final stages, especially semi-finals and finals but we still have one men’s doubles (Aaron-Wooi Yik) still involved,” he said.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are the country’s sole representatives in the Malaysia Open semi-finals, will fight for a slot in the final against Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.
The Malaysia Open started on Tuesday and ends tomorrow.
