KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) refuted allegations by Paralympic Council Malaysia (PCM) president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin that the association accepted bribes to nominate Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail as PCM president for the 2025-2029 term last month.

BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh dismissed the accusations as baseless and said that BAM was not among the associations challenging the PCM AGM proceedings.

“I wasn’t even aware of such allegations. I haven’t read anything about it, and there is no truth to it.

“Why would BAM accept bribes? I think this is a very unreasonable accusation,” he told reporters at Academy Badminton Malaysia, Bukit Kiara, here today.

Yesterday, the media reported that Ahmad Shapawi, a former director-general of the National Sports Council (NSC), lodged a police report against Megat D Shahriman, who had accused him of bribery leading up to the MPM AGM last month.

The report was made to clear his name, as the allegations were said to tarnish his image and credibility.

Ahmad Shapawi claimed that Megat D Shahriman’s report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) a day before the AGM on December 15 was false since he had not received any formal call from the MACC.

Megat D Shahriman had previously lodged a report with the MACC, alleging that Ahmad Shapawi and NSC Paralympic Division director Mohd Sofian Hamzah had bribed BAM to secure the nomination for the MPM president post for the 2025-2029 term.

In a separate development, Kenny said BAM would adhere to the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) regulations for the Malaysia Open 2025, scheduled from January 7 to 12 at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.

“The rules have their pros and cons, of course. Maybe after a few implementations, BWF will conduct a review.

“For now, we want to observe whether these weaknesses will significantly impact players. If they do, Malaysia will surely voice its concerns,” he said, expressing satisfaction that the prestigious Super 1000 tournament has seen nearly 90 per cent of tickets sold.

According to BWF’s new regulations, players are not allowed to receive medical treatment during a match and must wait until a break. — Bernama