The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) got a much needed sponsorship boost after they inked a RM55 million deal with Japanese sports manufacturer Yonex-Sunrise.
The deal, running until 31st March 2026, saw it replacing Victor, who were with the national body since 2016.
Besides this, Yonex will also provide equipment to 151 personnel including shuttlers and coaches at the Academy Badminton Malaysia.
The partnership saw Yonex returning to sponsor the BAM, having done so from 2001 to 2015.
Lee Chong Wei has been a great advocator of the brand and the partnership will hopefully translate to the rest of the national shuttlers.
The branding will be seen when the national shuttlers compete at the upcoming India Open (May 11-16).
At this point, the tournament is still set to go ahead even as COVID-19 cases in the country continue to surge.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) will need to make a decision soon, if the Super 500 event should carry on or otherwise.
With the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner, the world body will find themselves in a tough situation should they call off the India Open, with not many tournaments left on the calendar for shuttlers to earn much needed qualifying points.
After India, the Malaysia Open (May 25-30) and Singapore Open (June 1-6) are the two final events that offer qualifying points before the Olympics.
