The transformative power of Norza

Norza Zakaria has had the most challenging BAM presidency in history, a period from 2017 to last month marked by a series of reforms and unprecedented tests. (Photo Bernama)

PETALING JAYA: Transformational sports leader Norza Zakaria has had no rest since his recent election as vice-president for Southeast Asia at the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

The fresh face of Asian sport has already started turning challenges into opportunities, by continuously creating new plans and development programmes and updating them on an ongoing basis.

Badminton is the first sport to benefit from his commitment to promoting sports development in Asia.

In many ways, he is ideally suited to the challenges given his background as president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) since 2018 and former head of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).

Norza has had the most challenging BAM presidency in history, with a period from 2017 to last month marked by a series of reforms and unprecedented tests.

According to officials from OCM and BAM, you can agree or disagree with the way he handled it, but he handled it well. Norza’s uncontested election as OCA vice-president is also a testament to his leadership and dedication to the Olympic movement.

He is the second Malaysian, after the late Hamzah Abu Samah in the 1980s, to serve as vice-chairman of OCA (formerly known as Asian Games Federation) in the 1980s.

Leaders of OCM and BAM say Norza is organized, focused and strategic, with a comprehensive view of future developments.

According to them, Norza’s reputation as a transformative sports leader was further strengthened after he was elected unopposed for the 2024-2028 term at the OCA General Assembly in New Delhi, India on September 8.

The rapid impact his leadership had on the Asian Olympic system was evident in the establishment of an Asian High Performance Badminton Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

The Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) centre, with its world-class training facilities, is seen as crucial to the advancement of badminton in Asia.

This initiative is a collaboration between the OCA, the National Olympic Committee (NOC) Malaysia and BAM. The OCM is the NOC of Malaysia.

It marks a new chapter for badminton in Asia and reflects the commitment of all parties involved to promote the sport at both regional and global levels.

Norza proposed the idea to OCA Director General Husain Al-Musallam in May last year, who was impressed by the state-of-the-art facilities at ABM, which now serves as the main training centre for the Malaysian national badminton team and also houses BAM.

Through structured OCA development programmes, the centre will provide high-quality training to players, meet the needs of emerging NOCs and provide growth opportunities for coaches and referees.

Big tests

The true impact of the strategy Norza has put in place will likely be revealed in the coming years, but he can now count on the guidance of newly elected OCA president, India’s Randhir Singh, who is also determined to make Asia a dominant sporting power on the world stage.

Randhir himself faces the challenge of leading a continent that has seen tremendous growth in the sporting world in recent years, but which also faces significant infrastructural and organisational hurdles.

Norza will also be involved in issues that the new OCA leaders will need to address at the Asian level, the most important of which are the growing scale of the Asian Games and the pressures that host countries feel from hosting this continental event.

More than 15,000 athletes took part in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, compared to 10,500 athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As India bids to host the 2030 Youth Games, a precursor to the country’s ambition to host the 2036 Olympics, Norza will also be busy as Malaysia will host the Southeast Asian Games in 2027.

Certainty in diversity

This OCA job may be a milestone for Norza on a personal level, but it will also be a difficult task for him.

He carries a heavy burden as all NOC members in Southeast Asia have nominated him for the leadership position to bring about change.

Norza’s willingness to take on new challenges in sport places Malaysia in an influential position to promote good governance, leadership and development in global sport.

Norza knows the OCA family well, having been involved since 2019. He has a clear idea of ​​where he wants to go.