PETALING JAYA: The upcoming Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) presidential election on Saturday is expected to be a calm affair with no contest, following Datuk Seri Khairuddin Samad’s confirmation that he will not be vying for the top post.
Khairuddin, who is also the president of the Putrajaya Badminton Association, had previously expressed interest in running for the presidency but has since decided against it.
Instead, he is expected to retain his current position as one of BAM’s vice-presidents.
“There were no candidates earlier, so when I was asked in January whether I was interested in contesting for the BAM presidency, I put my name forward.
“It’s because I genuinely love badminton and care deeply about our players.
“But once the BAM council members unanimously agreed to nominate Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz as the new presidential candidate, I respected the decision and chose not to contest,” said Khairuddin, who previously served as team manager of the Malaysian squad at the 2021 Sudirman Cup in Vantaa, Finland.
At that time, the young Malaysian side made history by ending a 12-year medal drought to bring home the bronze from the prestigious team event.
According to the BAM constitution, nominations for the presidency and other posts remain open until election day, and anyone can still be nominated.
Despite this, no other challenges are expected, and the current executive line-up is set to remain unchanged.
With Khairuddin stepping aside, Tengku Zafrul is set to win unopposed and be confirmed as BAM’s new president for the 2025–2029 term.
Acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam will continue as deputy president alongside Datuk Seri Dr Jahaberdeen Mohd Yunoos.
Tengku Zafrul had previously been proposed as a candidate to succeed Tan Sri Norza Zakaria as BAM president, after Norza initially expressed his intention to step down.
However, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh urged Norza to reconsider and continue leading the association until the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Following the conclusion of the Games, BAM appointed Subramaniam as acting president until the annual general meeting in May.
