Male’, Maldives (September 6) — The Civil Court of Maldives has ruled against the Badminton Association of Maldives (BAM).

On August 15th, Commissioner of Sports Mohamed Tholal announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the National Sports Council (NSC) would oversee BAM until elections are held. Tholal also mentioned that a committee would be formed in consultation with the respective stakeholders to organize the election.

Following this announcement, BAM sought clarification from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) about Tholal's decision.

On August 27th, BAM's lawyer filed a case with the Civil Court challenging the Commissioner’s decision to transfer the association's administration to the NSC.

A court hearing was held on September 1st, and the ruling was delivered on September 4th.

The court determined that BAM's current executive committee’s term had expired and that they no longer had legal authority to represent the association.

In response, BAM's lawyer stated that they plan to appeal the decision.

The urgent need for resolution in BAM's leadership issues is exacerbated by ongoing concerns about the association’s impact on the sport’s reputation and the uncertainty within the badminton community.

There are allegations of misuse of athlete scholarship funds and corruption involving BAM's leadership, with cases currently under review by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

BAM's president, Moosa Nashid, resigned last month, even though his third term officially concluded in March of this year. Now, Ahmed Shakir Moosa, a close ally of Moosa and the association's Vice President, is representing BAM despite the expiration of his term.