KUALA LUMPUR – In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has officially selected the commune of Aire-sur-la-Lys as its training base.
“Aire-sur-la Lys offers badminton facilities and various amenities for track, fitness, and recovery sessions.
“The team will arrive on July 14 and will spend about 10 days there before checking into the Olympic Village for the start of the Paris Olympics,” said the national body on their X account.
The commune, in the north of France, is a two and a half hour drive from Paris.
The confirmation occurred at a signing ceremony where BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria represented the national body alongside the local host officials – vice-president in charge of sports, youth, and community life Antoine Sillani, Regional Council of Hauts-de-France Xavier Bertrand, Mayor of Aire-sur-la-Lys Jean-Claude Dissaux, and the president of Le Volant Airois club Frederic Ducrot.
Last year, BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh announced after a BAM-National Sports Council working committee meeting that the national team would have two training camps ahead of the Olympics.
The first training camp will be in Malaysia and the other one will be in Paris before the Summer Games begin.
The training camp in Paris is to help the players get acclimated to the Parisian weather. — March 11, 2024