Lee Zii Jia
PETALING JAYA: Professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia expressed his gratitude to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) for having their faith in him after the national body named him for the Thomas Cup Finals duty.
Zii Jia was one of the five singles players named for the Finals, to be held in Chengdu, China from April 27-May 5. The others are Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, Cheam June Wei and Justin Hoh.
"Thank you for your continued trust in me," said Zii Jia via his Instagram as soon as the BA of Malaysia announced the final list on Friday.
"The eight letters of my beloved country's name (Malaysia) far outweigh the five letters of my name that is on my jersey."
As Zii Jia, who is part of the professional outfit Team LZJ, and is currently sponsored by Victor, the BA of Malaysia had to make an exemption for him.
The national body and Team LZJ had to come out with a win-win situation as both parties had obligation to different sponsors.
And paying a compensation for Zii Jia to wear the national jersey seemed to be the best way to tackle the delicate issue.
According to BAM's head of administration Michelle Chai, it was an unprecedented decision but one that needed in order to send the best team from Malaysia for the Finals.
"Zii Jia is committed to play for the country but the compensation is necessary for him to wear the national jersey, which has our commercial partners," said Michelle.
"Zia Jia is no longer part of BAM and we've to be fair to him.
"We have never done this before but I believe it is the best decision that works for both sides," she added.
Michelle did not reveal the amount but it's learnt that it is a substantiated figure.
