Putra Jaya: Newly appointed Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin fired his first salvo after taking office by taking the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to task for an embarrassing exit from the 2013 Sudirman Cup competition at the group stage.Describing the exit after losing to minnows Taiwan and Germany, as the worst in the history of the country's badminton, Khairy said BAM need to take full responsibility and conduct a holistic post mortem.
"As the Youth and Sports Minister, I am disappointed with the country's defeat.
Never in the history has Malaysia lost to a much 'weaker' nation, at least on paper....in reality though we are weaker than them.
"I hope the BAM views the situation with concern because many, including me, are in doubt of BAM's capability of managing badminton in the country," he told reporters at Menara KBS, here, Wednesday.
Malaysia, drawn in Group C together with Taiwan and Germany, lost to both countries with identical scores at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil and failed to reach the quarterfinals.
Khairy said he would wait for a report from the BAM before deciding on the next course of action.
"The Ministry cannot interfere in the administration of the association but at the same time we cannot allow such episodes to continue. As the minister I am responsible for the development of all sports in the country.
"Furthermore, the ministry supports many associations financially.
As such, they must be accountable because the accountability will be measured by their performances and results," he said. - Bernama
