Source: Oriental Image/Jiang Xu
[Saba Sports News] The reform led by Mitsuru Murai, president of the Japan Badminton Association, has officially entered its “second chapter.” Last week, the Japan Badminton Association held a committee meeting and board meeting, finalizing the new leadership structure. President Murai was smoothly re-elected for his second term. Looking back on his experience since taking office in June 2023, Murai stated that the association had already faced issues such as embezzlement and alleged cover-ups before he took over—his first major challenge. He then had to deal with the reality of the association being insolvent, making financial recovery an urgent task. Fortunately, after everyone’s efforts, the association has initially resolved core issues such as finance and internal systems. The next two years will be a critical phase for the association’s rapid development. In this new term, the focus will be on strengthening the Japanese national team and rebuilding the top-tier league. A key part of the reform is renaming the “Strength Development Department” to the “Strategic Strength Department,” with former Olympic champion and former athlete council chairman Shintaro Ikeda appointed as head. This aims to establish a more strategic system for developing the national team. After the Paris Olympics, the budget for badminton was significantly reduced. How to operate efficiently within limited funds has become an important challenge for the association.