KUALA LUMPUR: When it comes to discussions, there will always be two lines of thought.
In the case of the BA of Malaysia's (BAM) possible move to release national players at the age of 19, opinions are divided.
On Saturday, Timesport reported that the national body is considering exclusively focusing on the development of players aged 16-19.
After this period, they would be released to turn professional.
These players would still retain access to utilize the world-class facilities at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) at their own cost, while BAM remains responsible for selecting players for team events and multi-sport Games.
Former BAM high-performance director Datuk James Selvaraj isn't entirely convinced with the new model, proven to yield results in other badminton nations like Taiwan and Denmark.
James told Timesport on Sunday that Malaysia do not have enough quality players to attract sponsors outside the national setup.
However, some believe the impending move could shape the future of high-performing sports in the country.
Sports analyst Nur Jasni Mohamed, responding to an X post on the subject, pointed out that the days of national sports associations (NSAs) operating full-time national teams belong to an amateur system from a different era.
"Our amateur sports system is obsolete. This is worse than a broken system.
"A broken system can be fixed, while an obsolete system still operates with officials thinking nothing is broken; so business as usual.
"We have an obsolete amateur system working against a global professional system of sports. Uphill task from the get-go," said Nur Jasni.
The local badminton community is expressing discontent, with a majority holding BAM accountable for the shuttlers' results in recent times.
The question now is: Are we ready for such a drastic change? Are we willing to sacrifice quantity for quality?
Or do we sit back and continue celebrating mediocrity?