Datuk Seri Khairudin Samad
PETALING JAYA: Putrajaya Badminton Association (PJBA) president Datuk Seri Khairudin Samad is seeking clarification from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) after 16 young shuttlers’ names were controversially removed from next week’s Junior Elite Tour competition list.
The 16 shuttlers representing Putrajaya aged between 11 and 16 found their names deleted from the tournament which will start on Tuesday in Johor.
Khairudin said that the players, who were mostly schooling in Selangor, have been representing Putrajaya for some time and alleged they were unfairly treated due to the Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) ruling where an athlete can only represent the state where they are schooling.
However, after consulting with officials in the education department, Khairudin said that the rule only applies to junior players who were already part of BAM and not state players.
“Most of the 16 players are schooling in Selangor but they have been part of PJBA since they were around seven years old,” said Khairudin.
“They have been representing Putrajaya and competing in junior tournaments for some time. So, I don’t understand why only now they have not been allowed to compete.
“BAM deputy president and Selangor Badminton Association (SBA) president Datuk V. Subramaniam, who is also the chairman of tournaments, is using the MSSM ruling to deny the 16 players spots in the tournament which I think is wrong and unfair.
“I have checked with officials in the education department and the rule where an athlete can only represent the state where they are schooling in competitions does not apply to state badminton players. It only applies to BAM players.
“This means that BAM players cannot represent a state when they compete because they are well funded by the national body.
“This is not the same for state players.
“The parents of the 16 players came to my house yesterday (Thursday) night and begged me to help their children, so that they can play.
“The parents have invested money in their children’s careers and the children have been training hard for this competition.
“End of the day, we are trying to develop players for the country, not the state,” added Khairudin.
