KUALA LUMPUR — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) had no choice but to host the ongoing Malaysia Open Super 1000 series at the Axiata Arena, despite being informed by the Malaysian Stadium Corporation (Stadium Corp) of potential roof leakage issues due to ongoing refurbishments.
The roof problem came to light on the tournament’s opening day when heavy rain caused water to drip onto Courts 2 and 3, disrupting matches and leaving fans frustrated.
The incident delayed the women’s doubles match between Malaysia’s Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing and China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian. Similarly, Canadian Brian Yang’s men’s singles match against India’s H.S. Prannoy was affected.
Stadium Corp later issued an apology, stating that the Axiata Arena’s roof had not been renovated since the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
They assured that repairs would be completed before the tournament concludes on January 12, with assistance from the Public Works Department (Jabatan Kerja Raya).
The incident sparked outrage among local badminton fans, with many expressing their disappointment to Scoop and threatening to boycott the event if such disruptions persist.
Today, rainwater again caused a brief delay during the men’s singles match between France’s Christo Popov and Japan’s Kodai Naraoka on Court 2.
The round-of-32 clash, which resumed after a short interruption, saw Naraoka winning comfortably 23-21, 21-9.
BAM acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam emphasised that the association could not be held accountable for the roof issues.
“Whatever repairs are being carried out by Stadium Corp, we have nothing to do with it,” he told Scoop when met.
“We made the booking long ago and they informed us that they would be doing some work from time to time. Apart from that, we were not involved, and they assured us that everything would be in order.
“We didn’t interfere, as we are not the experts. They are the owners, and we are the tenants. They did inform us that the work was planned and would be carried out as scheduled.
“In Kuala Lumpur, we don’t have alternative stadiums that can host an event of this scale. The Stadium Juara isn’t suitable, and unfortunately, the Axiata Arena remains our only viable option. If there were another venue, we would reconsider.”
Subramaniam also appealed to fans to be understanding, pointing out that such incidents occur in other countries as well.
“If fans want to boycott, we can’t do anything. We are not doing this for our own whims and fancies, and I think BWF events director Selvaamresh Supramaniam has already explained that such incidents don’t only happen in Malaysia but in other countries as well.
“It’s a natural occurrence, and as hosts, we didn’t want this to happen. It was beyond our control, as well as the control of the stadium owners.
“It’s unfair to call for a boycott as the timing was simply unfortunate,” he added.
Subramaniam assured fans that similar issues would not occur during future tournaments hosted by BAM, including the Malaysia Masters in May.
“Stadium Corp CEO, Iliyas Jamil, has engaged top engineers to address the problem.
“It’s a step-by-step process, but we trust their efforts and are confident such issues won’t happen again,” he said.
According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), this year’s Malaysia Masters will take place from May 20 to 25 at the Axiata Arena. — December 8, 2025