PETALING JAYA: Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz has welcomed the government's RM730mil allocation for national sports development under the 2027 Budget, describing it as a crucial step towards building a sustainable pipeline of future champions.
The funding includes RM460mil for overall sports development, RM240mil for the 2027 SEA Games and Para Games and RM30mil for the sports matching grant.
Zafrul highlighted the importance of the 50 per cent increase in school sports funding to RM27mil, which will benefit over 4.6mil students.
However, he stressed that talent development must extend beyond the school level through clubs, state associations and national development programmes.
"Our challenge is to ensure that when a champion retires, there are back-up players ready to take their place," Zafrul said in a social media post.
"This requires consistent talent development, quality coaching, and comprehensive sports science support."
He also added that BAM plans to leverage the RM30mil sports matching grant to collaborate with state associations and corporate partners, with the goal being to organise more high-performance tournaments, providing local players with the necessary exposure to compete internationally.
While preparations for the 2027 SEA Games remain a top priority, he emphasised that BAM’s ultimate objective is to establish a system capable of continuously producing world-class athletes for the next generation.
