After appeals from Putrajaya Badminton Association (PJBA) president Datuk Seri Khairudin Samad and the parents of the players, Zafrul has overturned the national body’s decision and gave his approval for the players to compete. Zafrul though said that the decision was one-off and a special exemption would be given for the players to compete this time. “The rule regarding junior players representing their states was decided during the BAM council meeting on Oct 18 last year and has been in place since Nov 10, which is much earlier than the tournament. “Under this rule, junior players must represent the states that they are schooling in during competitions in accordance with the Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) ruling. “I will also like to thank the Selangor Badminton Association (SBA) as they were willing to allow the players to compete despite not getting approval to do so.

Source: The Star February 02, 2026 09:35 UTC