KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — Delays in the completion of the National Badminton Academy at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara has thrown a spanner in the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) development programme for the 2017 SEA Games.

BAM deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said the academy was scheduled to be completed on November 8, 2015 but alleged that according to the contractor Purata Abadi Sdn Bhd, work would only be completed by December 2016.

"The authorities like Jabatan Kerja Raya and the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) have to look into this matter seriously, because we need the academy to be completed within the stipulated dateline.

"JKR has to put more effort in terms of ensuring that the building will be delivered to us as soon as possible. Since around 34 per cent of the construction work has yet to be completed... if we divide into two or three per cent per month, I don’t think December is the right date.

"So as I said, the authorities need to look at this,” he told reporters here today after chairing a BAM Coaching and Training Committee meeting here today.

He added that BAM has another predicament in store since the Juara Stadium that National shuttlers used for training would be closed in October for upgrading works in preparation for the SEA Games next year.

Work on the new 8-storey academy that would be equipped with badminton courts, gymnasium, auditorium, multi-purpose hall, office, hostel and car park, had started on March 3, 2014.

Malaysia are hosting the 2017 SEA Games. — Bernama