KUCHING: Greater awareness of sports science and coaching quality will play a key role in strengthening badminton development in Sarawak.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Coach Education Panel (CEP) chairperson Dr Tengku Fadilah Tengku Kamalden said the successful completion of the BAM Coaching Course Level 1 was an important step in producing quality grassroots coaches who can contribute to long-term badminton development across the state.
She said BAM was pleased to return to Sarawak to organise the coaching programme after a long gap and was encouraged by the strong response shown by participants.
“On behalf of the Coaching Education Panel of BAM, we are very pleased to be here because it has been a long time since we last organised a coaching course for the Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA).
“The participants were very responsive, very eager, and it made our course very pleasant and enjoyable,” she told Sarawak Tribune after the course was held at the SBA Hall here recently.
Tengku Fadilah explained that BAM has improved the coaching curriculum to ensure higher standards in both content delivery and assessment.
“We have changed the curriculum and improved it to be much better, both in terms of content and assessment.
“We believe that those who pass this Coaching Level 1 will be of very high quality and standard, and can contribute to the development of Sarawak badminton,” she said.
She noted that the Level 1 course places strong emphasis on grassroots development, particularly important for a large state like Sarawak where access to quality coaching is crucial.
“One positive thing is that Sarawak now has a pool of people who are potentially able to coach badminton with quality.
“With many divisions across the state, the Sarawak BA can organise more Level 1 courses because one of the key factors behind successful badminton nations is having many academies and sports clubs,” she said.
She added that if more coaches are given opportunities to start in academies, sports clubs, or within SBA’s coaching structure, badminton development in Sarawak can improve significantly.
Tengku Fadilah also stressed the importance of sports science as a vital part of modern coaching, saying the awareness among participants was an encouraging first step.
“The realisation that sports science is a vital component of coaching is already there. Learning is a continuous process, and the ice has been broken regarding its importance,” she said.
She encouraged participants to continue upgrading themselves through the National Coaching Academy (Akademi Kejurulatihan Kebangsaan) under the National Sports Institute (ISN), particularly through sports science coaching certification.
“That will make them more visible among coaches in Malaysia. Can you imagine we have so many (coaches in) Sarawak, and then parents will be able to reach out to them,” she added.
A total of 51 participants completed the BAM Level 1 Coaching Course, held from April 18 to 24, 2026, strengthening Sarawak’s badminton coaching development and standards.
