One of the longest saga in Malaysian badminton has finally come to an end after independent shuttler Zulfadli Zulkiffli made it clear that he will not be joining Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
The 22 year-old met National Sports Council director general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail last week, to discuss about his entry into BAM and requested time until Sunday to make his decision.
Shapawi, however, confirmed today that Zulfadli’s father, Zulkiffli Sidek had informed him that his son would not be joining the governing body.
“Both father and son met me on Thursday to discuss the probability of Zulfadli joining BAM and we gave them time to think about it until Sunday.”
“Later, the father got in touch and conveyed his apologies, stating that Zulfadli is already under a specific programme to qualify for next year’s Rio Olympics, and he would like to see it through on their own.”
“Nevertheless, Zulfadli expressed his appreciation to all those who were concerned, especially Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.”
“We respect their decision and shall put this matter to rest for now,” said Shapawi, as quoted by New Straits Times.
Zulfadli, the former world junior champion, is currently in 36th place in the world rankings, and is Malaysia’s third men singles player behind Lee Chong Wei and Chong Wei Feng.
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