KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will continue their current approach by accommodating the requests and needs of independent players invited to represent the country at the Asia Mixed Team Championship in Qingdao from Feb 11-16.
BAM’s head of administration Michelle Chai revealed that they have already reached out to several independent players and are adopting a flexible stance regarding their requirements to strengthen the national squad.
It is understood that discussions have been held with some independent players but Michelle declined to disclose further details.
The BAM are expected to officially announce the list of players representing Malaysia in the tournament tomorrow.
“The selection of professional players is based on recommendations from the coaching staff. They will propose a list of players they wish to call and the list will be brought to the performance committee for their input and approval.
“At the moment, the list includes several independent players. Negotiations will be conducted and they will need to revert to us on whether they agree or not.
“I think if there are payments involved, they will differ for each player. It is not necessarily about money as each player has different needs. When we discuss with the players, they will inform us of what they want.
“Not all players have such requirements. Some are willing to agree to play without any requests but it all depends on the agreement of the performance committee,” said Michelle.
Last year, independent men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia made headlines as the first professional player to receive payment for his image rights while representing Malaysia in the Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, China.
At that time, the BAM urgently needed Zii Jia’s services in their quest to end a more than three-decade wait to lift the Thomas Cup, which Malaysia last won in 1992.
At the same time, Michelle clarified that players agreeing to represent Malaysia at the upcoming Asia Mixed Team Championship must also comply with BAM’s conditions, such as wearing attire without their personal sponsors’ logos during the training camp at Bukit Kiara.
“We’ve recently renewed our contract with Yonex, so the rules remain the same. Naturally, the players are aware of this. What I mean is, those selected to play must adhere to the conditions set,” she added.
