His decision follows an appeal by youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh to reconsider his earlier announcement, especially with the Paris Olympics being just months away and badminton making up the majority of Malaysian athletes in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme.

In July, Norza announced that he would leave BAM after the Paris Olympics. However, he surprised everyone a month later by announcing his resignation at the end of this year.

In October, the BAM council unanimously agreed to appoint investment, trade, and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz as his replacement.

Meanwhile, Norza, who is also the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president, said he had already communicated with Tengku Zafrul on the matter, adding that the latter was very understanding of his decision to stay on as BAM president.

“He also feels similarly that BAM should be passed or handed over to him (only) when the time is right,” he said.

BAM deputy president V Subramaniam expressed gratitude that Norza had decided to stay, describing him as a “committed boss” who was not occupying the role merely to “warm the chair”.