He said experience and a philosophy of development should not be judged based on a single tournament, but should instead be viewed within the broader context of the national team’s long-term development.
“I appreciate Rexy’s openness, and my stance is clear: we still need him.
“One failure does not negate the major successes achieved this year. We emerged as world mixed doubles champions, and for the first time, the women’s doubles team advanced to the World Championships final, an achievement that elevated the standing of the country’s players,” he said in a statement on his social media accounts today.
Tengku Zafrul said the SEA Games provided valuable lessons, and that BAM would continue to learn from the experience, address its shortcomings and emerge with greater maturity.
He added that the Games were not the end, but a stepping stone towards future success.
“As president of BAM, my commitment remains firm to build Malaysian badminton on a solid foundation and ensure long-term success. This journey is not over, and we will continue to move forward together,” he said.
He added that the results of the Thailand SEA Games were not an individual failure, but the collective responsibility of the players, coaching staff, management and leadership, guided by the principle that “we win as a team, and when we lose, we are also jointly responsible”.
“The 2025 SEA Games was not an easy stage for us. We acknowledge our weaknesses and accept that not all targets were achieved. In sports, results on the court cannot be hidden – they demand honesty, courage and shared responsibility,” he said.
“Although the gold medal target was not achieved, the national squad demonstrated positive progress by winning nine medals, surpassing the initial target of seven. More significantly, we secured a women’s singles medal for the first time in six years, which shows that our talent development is on the right trajectory,” he said.
Rexy expressed his willingness yesterday to shoulder responsibility following the failure of his men’s doubles players to meet the targets set for the SEA Games, including stepping down from his position if pressured by any party, after BAM fell short of its four gold-medal target at the biennial Games.
The national badminton team concluded their 2025 SEA Games campaign with one gold, two silver and six bronze medals.
Top national women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah were the only Malaysian badminton representatives to clinch gold at the Games, after a hard-fought victory over Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari.
Their triumph ended Malaysia’s decade-long wait for a women’s doubles gold medal at the SEA Games. The last title was won by Amelia Alicia Anscelly-Soong Fie Cho at the 2015 edition in Singapore.