BAM chief, secretary quit over Thomas Cup failure

JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Abdullah Fadzil Che Wan and secretary Datuk Mohamed Al Amin Majid finally resigned from their posts Tuesday evening after nearly a full month of pressure from local press.

The resignation was made due to the failure of the country's team to reach the semifinals of the Thomas Cup championships at the Putra Indoor Stadium in Kuala Lumpur last month.

"I have nothing further to comment. I have resigned and my decision was made before a meeting with Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein last night," Fadzil was quoted by Berita Harian daily as saying at the Malaysian Badminton Academy in Cheras.

"But I didn't want to announce my decision to BAM council as I'm afraid they would be shocked. I just called them today to convey my decision and the majority of the council accepted it although there were some who declined," he said.

Early last month, the council turned down Fadzil's resignation letter dated May 17, a day after Malaysia's failure, saying that he alone was not responsible for the country's failure. The council said all officials were responsible.

Asked if he had discussed his decision with BAM patron Datin Seri Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Fadzil said he did not want to involve the patron, who is also the wife of Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Separately, head coach Park Joo-bong of South Korea was very surprised with the decision. However, he hoped the resignation would not disturb the country's team preparation for the Olympic Games in Sydney in September.

"I was not told about the resignation. It is a very shocking decision. But I hope it won't disturb the shuttlers' concentration and preparation for the Olympics. Moreover, the quadrennial event is the best moment to heal the wound of our failure in the Thomas Cup," he said.

"The hope to win the gold medal is in my hands. Hopefully, the shuttlers will be inclined to work hard during training to fulfill that ambition despite the incident."

Malaysia won the silver medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta after its men's doubles Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock lost to Indonesians Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky. (yan)