SEEKING to put one’s mettle to test, as a professional athlete, one definitely requires self-confidence, determination, unwavering commitment and make sacrifices.
A point of reference would be our former national squash queen Datuk Nicol David – the most decorated squash player in the sport who would have brought home our first Olympic gold medal if squash had been an Olympic event.
Thanks to the broad-minded leadership of the Malaysian Squash Association we, as a nation, take pride in her stellar accomplishments as a professional athlete.
But just imagine what would have happened if our squash association had gone down the same path as our Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), as in the case of our badminton star Lee Zii Jia.
Take for example our national cyclists. Without the infrastructure and logistical support, I do not think our national cyclist could have delivered medals from SEA Games, Asian Games, Olympics and other world tournaments. Without a shadow of a doubt, moving our cyclists’ training base to Australia, and that too under a team of dedicated coaching staff of international calibre, culminated in our cyclist standing proud on international podiums, including the Olympics, waving our nation’s flag.
In comparison, the BAM’s vindictive mindset just because Lee decided to leave their fold in pursuit of a professional career is beyond comprehension. Regardless of whether he performs under the banner of the BAM or as an independent professional, the end result would still be that he would battle to bring glory to our country.
Hindering young athletes from growing
But instead of wishing him well and providing him with the necessary support in his pursuit, our badminton association has elected to impose punitive actions against Lee. Such a tunnel vision approach, in my view, would only scuttle the development of the sport as it would dampen the spirit of our young ones who aspire to embark on a professional career in badminton.
The BAM, entrusted to developing the sport, has to adopt a proactive role in not only nurturing a pool of amateur players but also support the ambition of those who dare to take the challenges of turning professional. That, fundamentally, ought to be the mission and vision of the BAM in promoting badminton.
By putting on blinkers and wrapping themselves in a cocoon, BAM is doing a great disservice to the development of professionals in the sport. They need to discard their archaic narrative of subservience demanded from their players as such mentality, while serving the alter ego of the BAM administrators, is antecedent to our nation’s hopes to conquer the world, figuratively speaking.
As such I would implore upon the BAM to rescind its misplaced decision in the matter.
K Veeriah is a contributor to FocusM and a veteran unionist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
