PETALING JAYA: It’s a two-year old controversy and it’s still raging. Did Taiwan ace Chou Tien-chen flip the bird at Malaysia’s top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia after the two faced each other in the semi-final clash at the Taiwan Open in 2018?Tien-chen has been recently criticised for his unsportsmanlike conduct with the video going around, which appeared to show him extending his middle finger even as he hugs Zii Jia.
Zii Jia upstaged Tien-chen 17-21, 21-14, 24-22 in the 80-minute thriller, denying the latter a chance to claim his third straight title at that time.
Tien-chen has since taken to his Instagram account to clarify on the matter, explaining that the picture was “misleading”.
“After the game ended, my opponent came to my court to hug me. As I spread my arms to return the hug some of my fingers were blocked, which caused the misleading picture,” said Tien-chen, who reclaimed the title last year to become the tournament’s most successful men’s singles player since its inception in 1980.
“I didn’t notice that until I saw some people’s sharing of the photos on the Internet.
“Taiwan is my hometown. It’s my pleasure to devote myself to presenting a great game here. My opponent, Lee Zii Jia, also did beautiful work.
“As an athlete, morals always come first, so I have to clarify that the allegations in the video clip are not true,” added the 2018 Asian Games silver medallist.
Zii Jia, who went on to win the tournament that year for his sole World Tour victory to date, has jumped to Tien-chen’s defence.
“We both fought ferociously in that match. After the game, I took the initiative to run to hug Xiaotian (Tien-chen’s nickname),” wrote Zii Jia on his Instragram account.
“I noticed that there have been videos and pictures which have been widely discussed. On this matter, I have never doubted Xiaotian’s attitude and behaviour.
“Sometimes, what we see on a video or picture does not tell the true story. When we hugged, I felt his sincerity.
“In fact, Xiaotian is also a very good friend off the court. We will greet each other whenever we meet.
“Please stop criticising him. I look forward to another great duel with him.”
Zii Jia has met Tien-chen on five occasions, with the latter ruling the head-to-head record with three wins.
Zii Jia upstaged Tien-chen 17-21, 21-14, 24-22 in the 80-minute thriller, denying the latter a chance to claim his third straight title at that time.
Tien-chen has since taken to his Instagram account to clarify on the matter, explaining that the picture was “misleading”.
“After the game ended, my opponent came to my court to hug me. As I spread my arms to return the hug some of my fingers were blocked, which caused the misleading picture,” said Tien-chen, who reclaimed the title last year to become the tournament’s most successful men’s singles player since its inception in 1980.
“I didn’t notice that until I saw some people’s sharing of the photos on the Internet.
“Taiwan is my hometown. It’s my pleasure to devote myself to presenting a great game here. My opponent, Lee Zii Jia, also did beautiful work.
“As an athlete, morals always come first, so I have to clarify that the allegations in the video clip are not true,” added the 2018 Asian Games silver medallist.
Zii Jia, who went on to win the tournament that year for his sole World Tour victory to date, has jumped to Tien-chen’s defence.
“We both fought ferociously in that match. After the game, I took the initiative to run to hug Xiaotian (Tien-chen’s nickname),” wrote Zii Jia on his Instragram account.
“I noticed that there have been videos and pictures which have been widely discussed. On this matter, I have never doubted Xiaotian’s attitude and behaviour.
“Sometimes, what we see on a video or picture does not tell the true story. When we hugged, I felt his sincerity.
“In fact, Xiaotian is also a very good friend off the court. We will greet each other whenever we meet.
“Please stop criticising him. I look forward to another great duel with him.”
Zii Jia has met Tien-chen on five occasions, with the latter ruling the head-to-head record with three wins.
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