BAM must not let badminton end up like diving

New Straits Times

2 days ago

MALAYSIAN badminton is not in crisis — not yet.
With stars like former world cham pions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Lee Zii Jia, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai still competing — and often winning — on the BWF World Tour, the sport remains in good hands. At least until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In fact, Malaysia may even crown a second world champion in Paris next month.
But it would be dangerously naive to believe the current wave of success will last forever.
Because this is exactly where diving stood just a few years ago, before it plummeted.
There was a time when Malaysian divers were contenders on the world stage.
Pandelela Rinong's Olympic bronze in London 2012, multiple World Championship medals, and a string of podiums at the Commonwealth and Asian Games marked a golden era. She was not alone.
Cheong Jun Hoong stunned China's elite to win Malaysia's first world title in 2017 in Budapest, a year after winning diving's first Olympic silver (with Pandelela) for Malaysia at the Rio Games.
It looked like the country might finally win their first Olympic gold in diving, not in badminton.
Nur Dhabitah Sabri, Wendy Ng and Leong Mun Yee helped establish Malaysia as a regional powerhouse.
Fast forward to 2025, and the national diving team are competing in the ongoing World Aquatics Championships in Singapore with no real expectations.
No buzz, no form and crucially, no medal hopes.
The dive has been steep, brutal, and completely avoidable.
This scribe, along with others in the sporting fraternity, raised the alarm years ago.
Concerns about stagnation, over-reliance on ageing stars, and a lack of succession planning were brushed aside.
Malaysia Aquatics failed to heed those warnings. They did not hire top-level coaches after Yang Zhuliang's contract was not renewed in 2017 — a pivotal mistake. Worse, insiders whispered that some divers were calling the shots in the national set-up.
When athletes dictate policy, disaster is inevitable.
The same names were recycled for major events while juniors sat idle. Grooming the next generation became an afterthought.
By the time Malaysia Aquatics began revival initiatives, it was already too late.
The system had stopped producing, the decline had begun, and the damage was done.
Diving now finds itself gasping for air, clinging to memories of past glories.
It is the latest cautionary tale in Malaysian sport, and one badminton must learn from before it's too late.
Right now, badminton looks fine on paper.
The senior ranks remain competitive. Pearly-Thinaah and Aaron-Wooi Yik will likely be Olympic medal contenders at LA28.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei are rising stars. Zii Jia, inconsistent as he is, remains a top draw.
And the BA of Malaysia's (BAM) system is still envied in the region. But cracks are starting to show — if you're paying attention.
Malaysia failed to win a single medal at the recent Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Indonesia.
Once a rich breeding ground for elite players, our juniors are now being outclassed by the likes of India, Japan, Thailand and even Taiwan — nations that once looked up to us.
They weren't just beaten — they were outthought, outplayed and outworked.
This isn't just about one tournament. It reflects a deeper issue in our development pipeline. Where is the next Zii Jia? The next Aaron-Wooi Yik?
If BAM doesn't have those answers now, they may be forced to confront the same hard truths Malaysia Aquatics is struggling with today.
This is the time for BAM to act, not to wait.
Waiting for the seniors to decline before addressing structural issues is the very mistake that sank diving.
The badminton system must evolve fast. It needs to constantly regenerate talent.
That means more international exposure for juniors, stronger local competitions, better coaching at the grassroots, and support for clubs nationwide.
It also means making hard calls, recognising when older players are blocking progress.
Less politics. More planning. Less nostalgia. More foresight.
Malaysia's sporting graveyard is filled with once-great disciplines undone by complacency.
Field hockey was once among the world's best — now Malaysia are struggling in Asia and not producing top quality players.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation may say it has around 5,000 up-and-coming players nationwide produced through its development initiatives.
However, most go "missing"' even before they reach senior ranks or are not up to the mark.
Athletics produced legends like Rabuan Pit and Samson Vallabouy. Now they're footnotes.
Reminders of what happens when ambition is replaced by comfort.
Diving is merely the latest casualty. Pandelela and Dhabitah gave everything to the sport. They carried Malaysian diving for over a decade. But the burden was never meant to be theirs alone.
Like Jun Hoong, who retired after Tokyo 2021 when the National Sports Council pulled her funding, they deserved a system that could take over. They didn't get it.
Now, diving is stuck in denial, trying to defend the indefensible. Let's not wait for badminton to arrive at the same place.
BAM still has time. But the window is narrowing. The rest of the world isn't waiting.
This scribe hopes BAM listens. Because Malaysia Aquatics didn't, and it is paying the price.
Without a plan, no athlete can carry a sport forever.
Badminton doesn't need to dive — but it could, if we aren't careful.