PETALING JAYA: It is a waste of talent.
The downward spiral of professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia on the international stage has drawn sympathy from Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei.
And once again, Chong Wei has opened the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) door to Zii Jia.
The three-time Olympic silver medallist believes a more structured training programme, better sparring sessions and a strong support system could help Zii Jia turn his game around.
"It’s a waste to see a talent like Zii Jia struggling on the international stage," said Chong Wei, the BA of Malaysia's performance committee chairman.
On Wednesday, world No. 88 Zii Jia suffered another blow to his morale when he lost to unheralded Wu Zhe-ying of Taiwan in the first round of the Vietnam Open in Ho Chi Minh City.
Chong Wei hopes Zii Jia will reconsider BAM’s invitation.
"This is not the first time that we have extended an invitation to Zii Jia," said Chong Wei.
"We gave him a chance to represent Malaysia at the Asian Games but he declined as he felt he was not ready and we respected that.
"It is, however, sad to see him losing again in lower-ranked tournaments. BAM’s door is open for him and he can always discuss his future with us.
"I do feel sad for him but he has to make the call. The initiative should come from him," he said.
Meanwhile, Chong Wei will miss tomorrow’s council meeting of the naitonal body as he will leave for the United States late tonight to be part of the Yonex Vision Legend programme.
He said there could be new announcements involving minor changes to the coaching and training set-up.
"I’ve forwarded all the proposals and hopefully, the council led by our president (Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz) will give the approval."
It is learnt that players aged 13 to 15 are expected to be housed at BAM again to ensure a smooth transition from the junior to senior ranks.
Under the previous management, the national junior squad was trimmed, forcing many juniors to return to their states.
