KUALA LUMPUR: Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) President, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, hopes the proposal presented by the governing body will be given proper consideration under Budget 2026, which will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat this afternoon.
According to him, various engagement sessions were held with the Youth and Sports Minister, the National Sports Council (NSC), and the National Sports Institute (NSI) to strengthen the direction of sports development, particularly badminton.
“We have presented our proposals. I hope the Finance Ministry will properly consider our proposals.
“That’s because we can see how, for example, the World Championships mixed doubles victory of Cheng Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei has ignited a spirit of nationalism, further elevating Malaysia’s name on the global stage,” he told reporters at Akademi Badminton Malaysia on Thursday.
Elaborating on the allocation for sports, which often catches the public’s attention, Tengku Zafrul emphasised the importance of the private sector’s involvement in strengthening the country’s sports industry ecosystem.
“I think this is where it’s important to get the private sector to be involved because the sports industry is a big industry by itself. For example, in badminton, we need to look at how we can monetise some of the assets we have.
“So, we cannot just rely on the government because, to be fair, and speaking as a Cabinet member, we need to prioritise what we have in terms of resources, in terms of revenue when we talk about budget,” he said. – BERNAMA
