PETALING JAYA: The Badminton Association of Malaysia performance committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has given assurance that professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia's recent injury that saw him withdrawing from next week’s German Open is not serious.
There was initially some concern within the national camp as Zii Jia was expected to play a key role in Malaysia’s Thomas Cup Finals campaign in Horsens, Denmark from April 24-May 3.
The Paris Olympic bronze medallist turned up at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara on Feb 20 (Friday) to meet Chong Wei and discuss his participation in the Finals.
Zii Jia was accompanied by his coach Liew Daren and close friend Goh Jin Wei, who has also received an invitation to strengthen the women’s squad for the Uber Cup Finals.
Drawing from his own experience as a former player, Chong Wei said he understood the nature of Zii Jia’s injury, describing it as something that would flare up from time to time.
He, however, advised the shuttler to seek further assessment at the National Sports Institute (NSI) to ensure he would receive the best possible treatment ahead of the Thomas Cup.
"It is not quite serious. I think it is on and off issue with his injury and we hope he can recover well," said Chong Wei.
"As athletes, we all go through this. I also discussed with Zii Jia just now and we hope he can take good care of himself and have someone monitoring him. The physio and everything is very important for an athlete’s career.
"For me, I hope he can go back to NSI and see what they can help him with. But it depends on his team.
"He did not say there were any issues when he went to NSI before, but I told him he can meet the director or the doctor and discuss his current condition," said Chong Wei.
Apart from the injury, several other matters were discussed, although Chong Wei declined to elaborate.
Still, he expressed hope that Zii Jia would accept BAM’s invitation, with the association prepared to do their best to meet his requests.
Zii Jia and Jin Wei have asked for a week before giving a final decision.
"We did discuss some terms and I have given him feedback. I have already spoken to the president and our council.
"I told Zii Jia I hope he understands that we now have new management and a new president. The president will speak to me about what we can offer him. This is something we are discussing for this year’s Thomas Cup," he added.
