Play in All England Open with racquet blazing, Zii Jia

FROM March 16 to March 20, the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships will be in full swing in Birmingham, England, and we have our very own Lee Zii Jia to defend the title he won last year.

As the tournament approaches, comments are being thrown around about the 23-year-old’s chances of winning. If the comments are anything to go by, he has “a rocky path ahead of him, especially if he faces world No. 2 Kento Momota”!

I hope he will not take such comments to heart and instead approach the tournament with confidence as, at No. 7 in ranking, he is among the world’s 10 best players. He must always remember that in life, there is no shortcut to success!

I was aghast when I read Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria’s explanation that Zii Jia wanted to quit the association because he preferred to train at his own pace without any constraints or regimentation.

To me, this is unacceptable because in sports, you must go through the ordeal of strenuous regimented training that is tailored to mould you to be physically and mentally fit come what may! One must overcome all these obstacles to be successful.

I must congratulate Zii Jia for leading the men’s team to emerge champions in the recently concluded Asian Badminton Team Championships. Their teamwork and winning mentality brought glory to our nation. Keep it up and hopefully we will triumph in the next Thomas Cup finals. I also wish Zii Jia the very best in his bid to retain the All England crown.

DATUK WEE BENG GEE , Petaling Jaya