The fresh face at the heart of Asian sport has already begun turning challenges into opportunities, constantly creating new plans and development programmes, and continuously updating them.
Badminton has been the first to benefit from his commitment to advancing sports development across Asia.
In many ways, he’s been well suited for the challenges because of his background as the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president since 2018 and former head of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
Norza has had the most challenging BAM presidency in history, a period, from 2017 until last month, that has been defined by a series of reforms and unprecedented tests.
One can agree or disagree on how he approached it, but he has handled them well, said OCM and BAM officials, adding that Norza’s unchallenged election as OCA vice-president is testament to his leadership and dedication to the Olympic movement.
He is the second Malaysian, after the late Hamzah Abu Samah in the 1980s, to serve as vice-president of OCA (formerly known as Asian Games Federation) in the 1980s.
OCM and BAM leaders say Norza is organised, focused and strategic, with extensive foresight of future developments.
They said that Norza’s reputation as a transformative sports leader came across even stronger soon after he was elected unopposed for the 2024-2028 term at the OCA general assembly in New Delhi, India, on Sept 8.
The quick impact his leadership has had on the Asian Olympic system became evident in the establishment of an Asian High Performance Badminton Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The centre at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM), with its world-class training facilities, is seen as crucial to the progress of badminton in Asia.
This initiative is a collaboration between the OCA, the National Olympic Committee (NOC) Malaysia and BAM. The OCM is Malaysia’s NOC.
It marks a new chapter for badminton in Asia and reflects the commitment of all parties involved to advance the sport at both the regional and global levels.
Norza had in May last year proposed the idea to OCA director-general Husain Al-Musallam, who was impressed with the state-of-the-art facilities at ABM that now serves as the primary training hub for Malaysia’s national badminton team and houses the BAM.
Through structured OCA development schemes, the centre will offer high performance training to players, meet the needs of developing NOCs, as well as present growth opportunities for coaches and umpires.
Big tests
The true impact of the strategy Norza has put in place may reveal itself in the years to come, but he can now rely on the guidance of the newly elected OCA president, India’s Randhir Singh, who is also determined to make Asia a dominant sporting force on the world stage.
Randhir himself faces the challenge of guiding a continent that, in recent years, has witnessed significant sporting growth but also faces crucial infrastructure and organisational hurdles.
Norza will also be in the mix to confront matters that have become necessary to deal with at the Asian level for the new OCA leaders, chief of which will be the expanding size of the Asian Games and the pressure host nations have felt hosting the continental event.
More than 15,000 athletes took part in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, and for context, the 2024 Paris Olympics had 10,500 athletes.
While India is set to bid for the 2030 Youth Olympics, a precursor to the country’s ambition to host the 2036 Olympics, Norza will have his hands full, too, with Malaysia hosting the SEA Games in 2027.
Certainty in diversity
This OCA job might be a personal landmark for Norza but it will also be a difficult task for him.
He carries a heavy load because every member NOC in Southeast Asia has nominated him into the leadership position to effect change.
Norza’s readiness to take on new tests in sport puts Malaysia in an influential position to drive good governance, leadership and development in global sport.
Norza knows the OCA family well, having been involved in it since 2019, and has a clear idea of where he wants to go.