Mohamad Norza speaks during a press conference at Wisma OCM in Kuala Lumpur on March 2, 2022. – Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR (June 20): The Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) move to elevate the status of the Malaysia Open from World Tour Super 750 to Super 1000 starting next year until 2026 is indeed a huge recognition to the national badminton scene.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said BWF’s decision to upgrade the Malaysia Open’s status indicated that Malaysia is now on par in the elite level of badminton power internationally, together with the All England, Indonesia Open and China Open.
“This will definitely give a great opportunity to the Malaysian players to shine in the prestigious tournament on home soil,” he told Bernama when contacted today.
Not only that, Mohamad Norza said BAM will work together with their main sponsor, Petronas, to ensure that the Malaysia Open will be a successful tournament for years to come.
Meanwhile, BAM singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann described the new status for the Malaysia Open as a great news for the sport apart from having to see better attendance of world’s top shuttlers in the tournament.
National men’s doubles player, Aaron Chia hailed the decision to move the Malaysia Open into a top level tournament as a good sign for badminton development in the country.
The Malaysia Open, hosted annually since 1937 with a few exceptions, has been categorised as Super 750 since 2018.
After having been halted by Covid-19 for the past two years, the 2022 Malaysia Open is scheduled to be held from June 28 to July 3, followed by the Malaysia Masters from July 5-10.
Both tournaments will be held at the Axiata Arena here.
A staggering US$670,000 cash prize await the winners in the 2022 Malaysia Open while the Malaysia Masters will be offering total prize money of US$360,000. – Bernama