PETALING JAYA: There is no issue for men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia to continue training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM).
Badminton Association of Malaysia secretary Datuk Kenny Goh said the independent shuttler is welcome to train alongside the national squad at ABM, subject to council approval.
“BAM have no problem with it (Zii Jia training at ABM). We just need to arrange a few things, one of which is to get approval from the council,” said Kenny at ABM during a press conference for the Malaysian Masters yesterday.
“This is not a new thing. We have invited Zii Jia to come and train before.”
The 28-year-old Zii Jia recently expressed interest to train at ABM, acknowledging the benefits of training with the national team, but said the decision ultimately rests with BAM.
While sponsorship remains an issue for Zii Jia, he is focused on being part of the training programmes at ABM.
Zii Jia is currently competing as an independent player under Victor, which differs from the national squad, who use Yonex.
Nevertheless, Kenny said that if the arrangement proceeds, the performance committee will determine the specifics of Zii Jia’s training programme.
“We first have to see what type of training programme he is put into by the performance committee.
“He (Zii Jia) can either train with the elite players or with the back-up squad, but that will be arranged by the performance committee,” he said.
