Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in action against China’s Lu Guangzu in the first round of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s decision to train with his own support system in a bid to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris may seem like a slap in the face for the Road to Gold (RTG) programme.
But RTG coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam does not think so.
Stuart said it was the prerogative of Zii Jia to choose the path that was most suited for him and they respected his decision to stay out of the RTG.
“Zii Jia’s decision will not affect our programme as we are not solely designed to cater for his needs alone. We are responsible for all the other dedicated athletes in the programme,” said Stuart.
Stuart, however, admitted the outcome of an online meeting with Team LZJ, consisting of Zii Jia’s coaches Wong Tat Meng and Liew Daren as well as his sister and manager Lee Zii Yii, did come as a surprise as Zii Jia was the only one who has turned down the offer yesterday.
The RTG team include cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, divers Pandelela Rinong, Nur Dhabitah Sabri, and a few others.
“We offer top-up services which include operational costs, training, monthly allowances, sports science, medical and nutrition. The only requirement we have for the athletes to enjoy this support is to maintain their world ranking (top 10),” said Stuart.
“We’ve not asked them to wear specific logo or sponsorship attire. In fact, for Rosman Razak’s boys (Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi), we supplied the experts to their training centre. We try to accommodate as we know every athlete has different needs.”
RTG committee member Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who is handling the badminton players, said it was an unprecedented move but one that needs to be respected.
“Everyone wants to be part of this RTG but I guess, Zii Jia is different. We have to respect the decision but RTG will go on,” said Chong Wei.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who is also the co-chairman of the RTG Committee, said they would not force any athlete to agree to join the RTG programme.
“The RTG is a facility we created to help provide additional support for athletes bound for the 2024 Paris Olympics. We also stated that RTG is a platform for us to do away with all the previous bureaucracy,” said Hannah after the launch of the Asean Women in Sports Conference in Subang Jaya yesterday as reported by Bernama.
In a statement released yesterday, Team LZJ said Zii Jia would not require the top-up services offered by the RTG.
Team LZJ, however, have given their assurance that they will continue to work closely with all the relevant stakeholders such as the ministry, the Olympic Council of Malaysia, the National Sports Council and the National Sports Institute in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics next year.
Zii Jia is ranked 11th in the world and if he can maintain his position in top 16 by end of April next year, he is assured of a ticket to compete in the Paris Olympic Games.
