KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh appealed to Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria to reconsider his decision to step down at the end of this year.
She said the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is just several months away, and badminton forms a majority bloc of athletes in the Road To Gold (RTG) programme.
“We need focus and minimised disruption during such a crucial preparation period,” she said in a post on her X (formerly known as Twitter) page today.
Yeoh said RTG was established to withstand leadership changes in the ministry (KBS) or the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) by having two co-chairs.
“RTG has been set up to survive abrupt leadership changes in KBS or OCM by having two co-chairs. Having said that, I do hope my co-chair Tan Sri Norza will reconsider his decision to step down as BAM president by the end of this year,” she said.
In July, Norza, also the OCM president, said he would leave BAM after the Paris Olympics. However, he surprised everyone a month later by announcing his resignation at the end of this year.
Speculations about the highest position in BAM were finally answered last October after the council members unanimously agreed to appoint Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz as its new president.
— Bernama
