PETALING JAYA: Independent men’s singles player Lee Jan Jireh has made a U-turn on his retirement decision after securing sponsorship support to continue his professional career.
The 20-year-old will make his comeback at the China Masters, which runs from tomorrow until Sept 7 in Baoji.
Jan Jireh had initially decided to step away from the sport after finishing as runner-up at the Malaysia International Challenge in Ipoh three weeks ago, citing financial difficulties in sustaining his badminton career.
He did not expect that several parties would approach him immediately after the Ipoh finals to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
He is now grateful that two to three sponsors have committed to backing him, alongside his club, Sports Affairs, which has agreed to cover his expenses for several tournaments this year.
He has started full-time training with the Cheras-based club under Nova Armada, training alongside Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin and Paralympic gold medallist Cheah Liek Hou.
“After the Malaysian International Challenge finals, I had decided to retire, especially since I left BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) for about 10 months and had not received any sponsorship during that period. That tournament was supposed to be my last.
“However, the next day, a few parties, including Sports Affairs, approached me with offers to sponsor and support me. That gave me the confidence to give my career another chance,” said Jan Jireh.
He also admitted that not all offers were genuine.
“Out of seven parties interested in sponsoring me, only two or three made serious offers. The rest were just empty promises.
“I truly value the opportunity to compete again. I have discussed it with my coach and family, and I plan to give it a year or two to see how far I can go, as most of my current contracts span 12 to 24 months,” he added.
Jan Jireh will begin his campaign in Baoji in the qualifying round against Taiwan’s Tu Hsin-se.
