KUALA LUMPUR: The BA of Malaysia (BAM) admitted that it is very difficult to monitor whether any member of the national badminton squad is involved in illegal activities such as betting or match-fixing.
Last week, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) imposed bans on former national player Liew Daren and ex-National Sports Institute (NSI) analyst Jerry Gan for their roles in betting-related activities.
The sanctions came as a shock to BAM and its acting president V. Subramaniam, particularly in the case of Daren, a long-serving national player.
Subramaniam said BAM can only remind its players and staff to avoid such activities, as the association lacks the resources to conduct active surveillance.
"From time to time, we conduct briefings for all our shuttlers and officers to stay away from illegal activities such as betting and match-fixing," Subramaniam told Timesport today.
"This has been an ongoing process long before the case involving Daren and Jerry came to light.
"We are not like the BWF. We don't have the expertise or resources to actively monitor whether anyone in our organisation is involved in such activities."
The BWF began its investigation after receiving a report from a third party regarding "suspicious betting activity" in a match played by Daren at an international tournament. Evidence uncovered through mobile phone records, chats and bank details led to the penalties.
Daren received a 12-month suspension, while Jerry was handed a three-month ban.
Daren, a World Championships bronze medallist in 2018, also served as an assistant coach to Lee Zii Jia between 2022 and 2023.
Meanwhile, the NSI has launched an internal investigation into Jerry's involvement in gambling and betting activities.