KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia look to win their first ever gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 25 national shuttlers will be the first group to make Ehime Prefecture their training base next month.
BAM president, Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria confirmed on Friday the first batch will consist of women's and mixed doubles shuttlers, along with their coaches.
This announcement was made following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between BAM and BA of Ehime at the Academy Badminton Malaysia.
"In the agreement, we will send shuttlers, both seniors and juniors to Ehime twice a year.
"So, we will send players this year, next year and then again just before the Olympics in Tokyo, where we will send our elite players there," said Norza.
According to Norza, the MoU will also see the exchange of young shuttlers aged between 13 and 18, who will be absorbed into the school system of Ehime, where they can pick up the good values of the Japanese.
"I've visited Ehime and am very pleased with the sports facilities there. It was based on my visit that we decided to sign a deal with them," added Norza.
On whether the agreement will finally deliver Malaysia the coveted Olympic gold, Norza believes it is better to focus on sending more shuttlers first.
For the record, the national badminton squad won three silver medals through Lee Chong Wei (men's singles), Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (men's doubles) and Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying at the last Olympic Games.
Present at today’s event was Ehime Prefecture governor Tokihiro Nakamura, who is also the BA of Ehime president.
