KUALA LUMPUR – There should be no questions asked about independent men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s inclusion in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme.
RTG programme coordinator Stuart Ramalingam said this is based on Zii Jia’s ranking as well as the decision made by the badminton national body, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
“Zii Jia is currently ranked fourth in the world. So, we cannot overlook his participation in the RTG list.
“We know that he may have historical occurrences that may be in the memory of many, but the matter is being resolved to ensure that Zii Jia’s chances at the Olympics are open.
“I also think Zii Jia’s inclusion should not be questioned because he is the No. 1 singles badminton player in Malaysia,” he said when met last night.
Stuart said that Zii Jia’s involvement as an independent athlete showed the openness of the RTG programme in offering support for talented athletes to win the Olympic gold medal.
He said that such a decision was approved by BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria.
“BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria himself submitted the names of those athletes to ensure that opportunities are also given to independent badminton athletes,” Stuart added.
Besides Zii Jia, three professional doubles pairs, of which two from the mixed doubles camp – Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai – and men’s doubles Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, are among the total of 15 athletes listed in the RTG project.
RTG is a national project that was launched to coordinate the country’s efforts in its quest to bag its first Olympic gold medal.
Its framework covers Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.
Stuart, who is also the Malaysian Football League chief executive officer, was answering questions from the media as to whether Zii Jia is still considered the best candidate to secure the country’s first gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The 25-year-old shutter has been getting mixed impressions about his recent performances and his decision to not hire a real coach.
Since he left the national setup to go professional, he brought along former women’s singles coach Indra Wijaya to join his namesake badminton club in March last year.
It was not even a year before the Kedahan decided to unlawfully terminate the Indonesian in November. Indra has since sued Zii Jia over the matter. – The Vibes, April 12, 2023
