KUALA LUMPUR, 21 July – The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) sprang a surprise when the national body picked vastly experienced Robert Gambardella as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Academy Badminton Malaysia.
BAM president, Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria described the American as the “right candidate” to churn funds for the world-class facility which will need RM5 million per year from 2022. It is currently on funding from the government for this year and next year.
“Robert brings with him a wealth of experience and he fits into our vision for the academy with sports technology at the crux to strengthen the technical aspects of the world-class training facility and work hand-in-hand with the BAM Foundation.
“It is a two-fold mission…to generate revenue which will in turn, be utilized for the development of the national team,” said Norza after chairing the BAM Management Committee on Tuesday.
The 62-year-old American is expected to report for duty on Aug 1 if he gets clearance from the immigration department.
He is currently serving as interim chief of the USA Shooting. He previously worked with thhe Singapore Sports Institute for seven years – from 2009-2016.
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